


Time for a Reset

by UncheckedBard



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Hermione Granger, F/M, Fix-It, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Marauders, Slow Burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:21:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 59,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29467923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UncheckedBard/pseuds/UncheckedBard
Summary: What if Harry chose to move on from the King’s Cross limbo and it was left to Hermione to activate Dumbledore’s failsafe to save the wizarding world? When said failsafe sends her back to 1977 to live out her seventh year with the Marauders, how will she traverse friends and foes alike in order to give Harry the childhood he deserves?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Mary Macdonald, Sirius Black/Hermione Granger
Comments: 23
Kudos: 111





	1. The Failsafe

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at anything like this so bear with me. Sorry if some aspects of this seem similar to others, but I love this trope and have tried to combine my favourite aspects of many other stories. This may take a while and will be long so any reviews are welcome!

Harry gasped as he resurfaced out of the Pensieve, sinking to the floor and staring at the entrance to the room: Snape might have just closed the door. After all this time and Snape had been good? Not only good, but willing to protect him, even when he knew that Harry eventually must die.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, Harry looked up at the Headmaster’s desk and considered the last conversation he had witnessed. With aching joints, he rose and staggered around the desk, slumping into the chair that Dumbledore had once so frequently occupied, and opening the drawer.

The box inside the top drawer was tiny and made of a worn wood, as if it had been handled multiple times in consideration. Dumbledore’s words from hours earlier spun around his head as he regarded the matchbox sized object resting within his palm. 

_“Severus, I hoped that it would never come to this point, but with things developing as they are, we must consider alternative options in case of the worst possible outcomes.” The Snape within the memory sighed from his viewpoint on the headmaster’s chair as he swivelled towards Dumbledore’s portrait._

_“What are you on about now?” he grumbled, confused after following all of Dumbledore’s previously known plans to the letter._

_“Harry has just been spotted in Hogsmeade, I am sure you will hear about it in a few moments, but gossip travels fast within portraits. What matters now is that the end is almost here.” He replied with a glint of anticipation in his emerald blue eyes._

_Snape gasped as he made to jump out of his chair but was stopped yet again. “Severus before you go, you need to inform Harry of a box I have kept safe in the top drawer on the left. It is vital that he knows of its importance and passes it on to someone he trusts. Miss Granger would be the wisest choice in this case, considering all she knows regarding Voldemort, Horcruxes and her previous experiences.”_

_After yanking open the drawer to regard said item, the Headmaster snarled in surprise, “A…a box? What does that matter now? If Potter is stupid enough to come to Hogsmeade now, then the Dark Lord is sure to already know of it. We can’t be worrying about anything else at a time like this.”_

_The portrait sighed, inclined his head in agreement and continued, “We do have very little time, yet this still must be done in case all else fails. I may be very wise and very old, but even I do not know how the battle that is sure to come will end. Losses will be sustained on both sides but it is impossible to know which side will win.”_

_He paused but continued in response to the Slytherin’s incredulous look, “Inside that box is a failsafe which should only be triggered if the situation becomes so dire that all hope seems lost. You must deliver that to Miss Granger with strict instructions never to open in case there is absolutely no option.”_

Harry looked down at this item that Dumbledore seemed to fear and yet hold in esteem and in disgust. Dumbledore’s betrayal of raising Harry with the intent for him to die at the opportune time was nothing compared to the knowledge that he didn’t believe in him to properly finish this war. Even after months on the run, years of fighting Voldemort and a lifetime of only knowing half of the story, it would all amount to nothing. Or at least Dumbledore seemed to think so.

He was going to die. The certainty of that fact somehow calmed his anger at the former headmaster. As much as he wished to protect and care for his friends and the other members of the Order, he could now rest. His mentor’s lack of faith in him may have been frustrating during the Horcrux hunt, yet now it demonstrated his naivety in believing that he could defeat Voldemort. He was 17 years old, for crying out loud!

The thoughts whizzing around his head somehow seemed to stabilize him as he rose to his feet and walked out of the office for the last time. The beating of his heart became a comforting thrum at the back of his mind and he wandered through the empty castle, stopping only when he saw Neville collecting bodies from the courtyard.

After explaining about the snake and the plan to kill it, Harry forced the small wooden box into Neville’s palm, relaying the message to pass it onto Hermione and to not open it unless there is no other choice. Making the same assumption as Harry that it was some sort of weapon of mass destruction to take out the Death Eater forces as well as our own, his eyes widened. 

Neville seized his wrist as Harry made to move on, “We’re all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?” In response Harry gulped, unable to reply for a moment as a feeling of despair suffocated him, but Neville seemed to understand and made to move away from him. 

Feeling the need to say something so that Hermione would understand his choice, and activate the failsafe if needs be Harry choked out, “T..Tell Hermione…” He swallowed as Neville turned back to him. “Tell her that I love her a..and that she is called the brightest witch of our age for a reason, whatever choice she makes I am behind it 100%. Even if this all works out, I want her, Ron, Ginny, and everyone else to be happy, no matter the cost.”

An understanding seemed so pass between the teenage boys as Harry pulled the invisibility cloak around him once more and loped away into the Forbidden Forest. 

* * *

Hermione’s body stood ramrod straight as she stared at the lifeless body cocooned within Hagrid’s arms. The only part of her body that seemed to move was her index finger as it trailed over the outline of a box in her pocket and her mind that was moving at a hundred miles per hour. 

Last resort, Neville had said, only if all hope seems lost. Well it looked bloody close to that right now. Not able to put to words the state that her friend was in, she felt a tear roll down her cheek. First Fred, then Remus and Tonks, Harry, and now…..oh no Neville. Coming back to herself she suddenly became aware of her once cowardly first friend standing up against the most powerful monster alive. 

But then she realised that he was no longer standing, he was held rooted to the spot, the hat upon his head aflame as well as the man himself. She could almost no longer bear it; if only the Death Eater army were closer she could open the box and take them all out, assuming that whatever was in this box would not reach too far considering the size of it. 

But suddenly everything seemed to happen at once. Grawp began to battle with other giants, the centaurs appeared and Neville, brave Neville, broke free of the Body-Bind Curse, drawing the sword of Gryffindor to take off Nagini’s head in one fell swoop. Yet throughout all of that, Hermione’s eyes were still locked on her friend’s lifeless form, unknowing that if he had made another decision, he would be the one to protect Neville from the killing curse that was heading his way. 

Even throughout the chaos of hundreds of people rushing to take shelter inside the Entrance Hall and Great Hall, Hermione could still distinctly hear the crunch of what was left of Neville hit the rubble-strewn floor. 

An aerial attack from various creatures hindered the confused Death Eater ranks, which gave Hermione the time to catch up with Ginny and Luna in the doorway. All around her people somehow found the energy to fight and for a second it seemed as if all was not lost, until she appeared.

The Bellatrix of her nightmares was nothing to the Bellatrix in real life and Hermione tried not to focus on the crazed look in her eye or the cruel words that left her mouth as she began to duel, Ginny and Luna at her sides. When Mrs Weasley knocked her to the side she couldn’t help but be astounded at the ferocity that the woman who had acted as a mother to her for so many years exhibited in order to protect her children. 

The cheer of elation that arose when the madwoman finally fell was stopped short when Voldemort blasted back anyone in his path and cast the killing curse at Mrs Weasley. No one cast a shield charm, or jumped in front of the woman fast enough and Hermione was forced to watch as the light left her eyes. Voldemort cackled evilly and proceeded to murder those he has previously been fighting. Still incapacitated by that blast that Tom had emitted before killing the Weasley matriarch, McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn stood no chance. 

What advantage the light had seemed to have gleaned was lost as the tide turned. Around her Hermione began to see her friends die as the Death Eaters rallied. Searching for Ron, Hermione glanced to her left only to see Dolohov snap his neck. Ron had clearly been attempting to get to her in order to protect her when Dolohov intervened; using muggle forms of murder when the satisfaction of spell cast pain evaded him. It was common knowledge that the monster that had attacked her from within the Department of Mysteries had since developed an obsession for her, and it seemed as if he were about to collect the debt that he seemed to think he was owed. 

One last glance at the mutilated face of Dolohov, slashed apart by courtesy of Flitwick, she glanced down into the face of her best friend and first love. The once joyous and mischievous blue eyes were now empty and void of all feeling, and that was the last thing she saw as she took out the box from her pocket and opened it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for oblivion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 2: A Change of Scenery


	2. A Change of Scenery

James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew shouldn’t have been sat under the Slytherin table after curfew but the end of term feast was in a couple of days and it’s not like they could not play a prank. The light from the mostly full moon lit up their grinning faces as they whispered back and forth. 

“…Erm..guuuys. I don’t think we should be doing this without Remus, you know he doesn’t like it when we carry out pranks without him first trying to convince us not to do them.” The anxious voice of the smallest of the trio whispered down the table.

The other two boys gazes met and both rolled their eyes at the now familiar argument. Sirius turned, ginned evilly and replied “Of course we shouldn’t be doing this without Moony, but it is the day after the full moon, so it’s not like he can complain or join us. I’m sure it will cheer him up when he sees all of the Slytherins baying like farm animals come the feast on Friday. I myself cannot wait!”

“Also,” the smug Potter added “I believe that Evans will be positively begging for my attention once she sees that I’ve turned her precious Snivellus into an animal as he deserves.” Snorting, he added “A sheep seems to fit that coward with the way that he trails after Avery, desperate from that bloody tattoo."

The doubtful replies of his friends however were drowned out when there was suddenly a loud, echoing bang and a flash of blinding white light. Emitting a high pitch squeal of fright, it was Sirius that rolled out from underneath the benches to first see the slumped over shadow of a figure land atop the Ravenclaw table, one table over from them. 

Ignoring his friend’s comment of “Manly, Padfoot, real manly,” he muttered a  _ lumos  _ and took in the prone form as well as the expanding pool of blood radiating around them. He cursed and faintly heard Peter say that he was going to get Madam Pomfrey, as well as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, before rushing off.

Limited as his knowledge was of magical maladies and cures, he knew not to move the girl who lay before him, and instead went to take his jumper off to stem the bleeding the muggle way. Ordering a shocked Prongs to do the same, they surrounded the girl and pressed their clothes to the multiple lacerations covering the girl’s abdomen. 

Taking the time to observe the state of their surprise visitor while they waited, they both took in how frail she looked after seemingly months of malnourishment, as well as the deep purple bruises under her eyes due to many sleepless nights. The neck of the girl’s long-sleeved purple jumper, covered with a blood matted denim jacket, was splayed open and the pair of boys could see the remains of two scars. The first of which was long and thin across her throat as if someone had held a knife there, whereas the latter was the top of a mottled purple scar which Sirius assumed covered a large expanse of her chest, undoubtedly caused by dark magic. 

Their exploration of the girl’s unfortunate injuries was halted by the entrance of Madam Pomfrey, closely followed by the Professors. Her gasp was enough to tell the boys that this was incredibly serious and that the girl’s injuries would be fatal if she did not work quickly. McGonagall quickly lit the candelabras around the hall and the face of the girl was suddenly animated with life, as if their Head of House had awoken her as well. 

Reaching around for her wand she growled in frustration as she failed to find it and instead began to flail her limbs, attempting to fight off her attackers the muggle way. Sirius was amazed at the fight the girl could put up when in such a frail condition and fought to keep her down so as to not open up her wounds more. 

Wisely stepping in, Dumbledore cast a stunning spell to stop the girl causing harm to herself or his students, yet it was James that got her to stay still enough for the Headmaster to aim correctly. By shouting at her to stop and that she was in no harm, the girl’s attention was drawn to the frightened seventeen year old. Her eyes widened and the incredulous whisper of “Harry?” was the first and last thing to exit her lips before Dumbledore’s stunning spell could hit her. 

* * *

“Did you hear Poppy, Prongs? Without us she might have bled to death, it’s not bloody likely for me to leave her here alone where the people that did this to her could return!”  _ Prongs? _ Hermione’s mind was still half asleep as she began to hear voices.  _ Hmmmmm. I know that voice. _

A deep voice she decidedly did not know replied, “Mate, we get it, we’re all feeling quite protective of whoever this witch may be. Come on, we both saw how she came in like. But we need to sleep, you definitely need to shower, Poppy said she’d watch her.”  _ Now, who the hell is Poppy? _

Suddenly the memories of the battle came back to her making her eyes burst open to settle on the boy at her bedside. The other boy, who seemed to have thick black curls and the voice she recognised abruptly stopped his arguments and gazed into Hermione’s open eyes in shock. Although the feeling of recognition remained, Hermione’s eyes were glued to the teenager closer to her.

The boy looked no older than her and so similar the friend she had seen dead on the ground no more than 12 hours ago. She had to hold back her exclamation of relief that Harry was not dead, when she came to the conclusion that this was not Harry. Madam Pomfrey seemed to have noticed the lull in the conversation and bustled back into the room, smiling when she saw that her patient had awoken. 

Unfortunately, Hermione found that she could take no comfort in seeing a familiar face due to the fact that she looked about twenty years younger than she had been when Hermione saw her last. What seemed worse was the fact that there was no recognition in Madam Pomfrey’s eyes when she regarded her. Turning back to the room at large she noticed that no other beds were occupied as you would assume after a battle and that the second chair at her bedside was occupied by no other than Sirius Black. 

Her gasp of recognition caused the man in question to frown and she almost found herself asking how he was alive before realising that he had absolutely no idea who she was. Staring at him openly, she suddenly realised that the person stood before her was not the man she had once known, but a teenager, long before he had suffered 12 long years locked away in Azkaban. 

“Am I dead?” She didn’t quite realise that she had said it out loud until she received three confused shakes of the head.  _ Thank God. _ She intoned, yet how could she be here where people she had known didn’t know her and they appeared much younger. Not to mention the Harry Potter lookalike… Before anything else escaped her mouth, Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth, refusing to talk to anyone until she had seen Professor Dumbledore. 

If what she thought had happened had actually happened then Dumbledore would still be alive, which he seemed to be seeing as Madam Pomfrey had sent word that she was awake. Unfortunately, that would mean that she was correct in the assumption that the failsafe that the Dumbledore from her time had created had not been a weapon of mass destruction, but some sort of Time Turner that had taken her back more than twenty years!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 3: A Bit of Bookkeeping


	3. A Bit of Bookkeeping

Hermione could have cried in relief when Dumbledore arrived in the hospital wing and found his way to the foot of her bed. By this point the two boys who looked hauntingly familiar had given up on asking her questions she refused to answer and had wandered over to another bed across the room. Hermione had taken one look at the mop of sandy hair belonging to the sleeping boy before clenching her eyes and turning away, unable to look upon the young face of her late professor.

Dumbledore had the same look in his eye that Madam Pomfrey and Sirius seemed to and by the look of his slightly shorter beard and less aged appearance Hermione came to the conclusion that she had been correct. Thoughts whirled around her head as she tried to come to terms about what had happened to her and she suddenly came to the conclusion of that tiny little box that Neville had given to her. 

"I assume you are looking for my matchbox?" Dumbledore had spoken upon seeing her frantic search. Hermione's gasp of surprise and widened eyes seemed to work as response enough and he sank into the recently vacated chair at the bedside.

"I must admit that when a strange woman seemed to appear as if by apparition in the middle of The Great Hall as if fresh out of battle, it did surprise me. But that was nothing compared to when I found this within your palm." He continued, fishing the aforementioned box from the pocket of his robe.

At Hermione's gulp he kept going, "I assume that me and Mr Flammel's experiments eventually came to a head then, and we finally found how to harness raw time energy…"  _ Nickolas Flammel? What in the..  _ "...and I dread to ask from what time you have come and to what dire a situation you must have been in in order to activate it." Dumbledore finished.

Realising that they were not in fact alone and that one person in the room had enhanced hearing, although they may be asleep. Hermione soon replied " Um, Professor. Surely we could discuss this more privately considering it's of a time sensitive nature?" Lowing her voice down to a whisper at the end.

Casting a silencing charm with a chuckle, "I see that I have chosen the perfect person for this job then, I assume you know of the rules and of why I have sent you?" At her still confused expression, he frowned and explained the project that he and his good friend Nickolas had been working on. Hermione's eyes widened as she listened. 

It was July 1977 and Dumbledore and Flammel had been working on trying to enhance the energy contained within time turner's for the last 10 years since their information had been released to the public. After understanding the potential that this brand of magic could possess as well as the dangers, they had both been working on ways of restricting its use as well as secretly exploring it's limits.

Recently, they had come to the decision that if they were to overcome the odds and find a way to send someone back a long time, then this could only be used in a time of extreme need. This idea had come about after the escalating powers of Voldemort and the Death Eaters had come into play and Dumbledore saw how the odds seemed to play against the side of the light.

Understanding that one of the two could well die soon, even with the Philosopher's Stone (these were trying times after all), they had come up with a symbol of their project, should someone be sent back and would have to prove themselves. This image was of a simple hourglass surrounded by a series of dashed and solid lines of varying thickness, in the shape of overlocking diamonds, squares and triangles. 

Hermione trailed her calloused fingers over the same design on the back of the metal, matchbox sized container that Dumbledore had given to her part way through his explanation. It seemed to be made of tin with small hinges on the side, testing them, she flinched when opening the box, expecting something to zap her away again, yet all she saw were a few loose grains on the sand seen in time turner's, which seemed to have lost their powers. After realising that he had stopped speaking she looked up to see an odd look on his face.

"I can see that you do not know any of what I am telling you which makes me think that things must be much worse than I assumed if neither of us got the chance to explain why we sent you back, or even ask you for that matter." A look of pity clouding his face as he took in the bedraggled look of the child before him.

After this man seemed not to care that he was leaving three teenagers to take on the most dangerous dark wizard of all time with no instructions or help, Hermione knew that what was coming next was going to be bad if it warranted that look. "I'm afraid that you have been sent back to change everything."

Her eyes widened and she spluttered for a second trying to comprehend that statement. Have every muggle TV show and series documenting time travel got it wrong - surely she was not meant to change anything because then we would be left with a paradox? And even if that were not so, why the hell was it left to her to change the fate of the wizarding war? Surely Dumbledore could understand that no one should hold that much knowledge and power?

It would seem that all of these questions were written all over her face because her headmaster quickly explained how, with time, as soon as someone is sent back, that whole previous timeline is destroyed as the person cannot go back to a time that doesn't exist yet. Instead they simply begin to exist in the past, even if their actions were to result in them not being born in the future (as often happens with time correcting itself,) they would not start to fade out like Marty McFly. The same course of events would of course happen if said person didn't interact with anything or anyone when they start to live in the past, but that would be nigh impossible to do.

"I'm afraid, Hermione is it? That the future me has decided on you to be the one that is worthy of gift, but also must consider you level headed enough to comprehend the great burden that you must now bear." Suddenly it clicked. Hermione would be the one to know who would die and when. She was expected to live with all of these people and prevent their deaths, whilst knowing that it would be her fault and her fault alone, should anyone else die this time around.

* * *

It was Wednesday when she arrived, she soon found out, and she had overheard from her Marauder guests that they were all headed home on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. Not that she would be joining them. Essentially, she was alone here; no family and no friends, the majority of which would not even be alive for a number of years yet.

She had decided with Dumbledore that she wouldn't tell anyone of her knowledge of the future because it would put her at too much of a risk from Voldemort, who was steadily gaining in power by the day. At first, he had suggested that Hermione should pass off as a half-blood relation to a teacher who would be snapped up and fostered by a supportive family should Dumbledore ask. But she had quickly shot that down, glancing at the ugly slur taking up her forearm and refusing to pass off as anything else. Furthermore, she concluded that it would be difficult to lie to people in everyday life, but to lie to those who would treat her as family would be too hard to do all the time at 'home'.

That left a very small group of people that would accept a muggle-born as one of their own, but would also be able to keep her secret as a time traveller. Although Dumbledore claimed that everyone he explicitly trusted would not believe in blood prejudice, Hermione knew even twenty years in the future, that sort of attitude would be very common, which didn't leave her feeling very optimistic.

In the end, the pair decided that Hermione would essentially become the ward of Dumbledore's brother Aberforth (after some tricky brotherly negotiation on Albus' side) so that she would be trusted by the Order by association, when they introduced her, and so that she would be close to Hogwarts should she be needed. It was also ultimately decided that Hermione should take her last year again, alongside the Marauders, in order to get her full education, ingratiate herself into the community, and as Albus put it 'try to get a little bit of your childhood back where possible'.

After receiving her things back from Madam Pomfrey (minus the clothes because they had to be cut off of her and then burned), she did a quick inventory. This included her wand and her purple bag which she had stuffed into her sock. Within that, she came across her far depleted supplies from their time on the run, a number of books that would probably have identical copies in this time, Harry's broom, and the Marauder's Map. This last item greatly surprised her and she realised that she must have stuffed it into her bag without thinking after frantically searching through it throughout the battle. She had to make sure that the Marauders didn't see that.

Making sure that she was alone in the hospital ward, she started to categorise her books into textbooks for her seventh school year (which she had bought anyway for something to do whilst on the run), dark magic books researching horcruxes, a number of books regarding the hallows (including Albus' biography), fiction books, and the notebooks she had made containing her discoveries made during the hunt. 

She took out her last empty notebook and began a list of the most important things to consider at the present time, especially regarding the students she would experience in the next year. Primarily, she knew that she needed to befriend the Marauders and Lily in order to protect them and make sure that no harm would befall Harry in 1981, yet she had a while to sort out that aspect. 

That led her to Wormtail, or Peter, who probably would not have turned at this point, although he was probably considering it. She would have to keep a close eye on him, maybe change his mind, as well as Severus Snape who she was dreading meeting the younger version of, and one Regulus Black, who would turn on Voldemort and die two years from now.

Secondly she would have to refind and destroy the seven horcruxes. A slight moment of joy surged through her as she realised that at this time he would not have created them all, definitely not Harry or Nagini, which means that there would only be five. However, that was quickly dampened when she realised that she would have virtually no way of destroying them as The Sword of Gryffindor would not have had any basilisk venom imbibed within it yet.

Finally, she contemplated her final mission; saving the lives of those killed in the first war. Hermione gasped and reached for a frayed book on the top of the last pile, not believing that she could have forgotten about it. This one was like a scrapbook of sorts, jam packed and worn as if added to and viewed by multiple people. It was Ron who first suggested that they make this book…  _ No don't think of him _ … and thank goodness that he did.

It started out as a way for Harry to remember his parents and the people that they surrounded themselves with, but ended up as some sort of weird therapy type exercise for those members of the Order who lived during both wars. Eventually every person had submitted a person or people they cared about, including a photo where possible, a birthdate, a death date, description of what they thought had happened and any information they remembered or missed about that person.

It was interesting to see how, as the book progressed, there seemed to be less and less information surrounding each person, as if not many people knew of what had happened to that person, or they wanted as many acquaintances as possible remembered. Hermione distinctly remembered how Moody had remarked about how morbid that this seemed, but then how she had later observed him diligently adding in the names of all of his lost auror trainees and partners that had died throughout the years.

Regarding both her new entries and the overflowing 'Death Book' in each hand, Hermione realised how dangerous that these could be in the wrong hands and quickly applied a few defensive spells, adding a reminder in the notebook to research some better spells before snapping it shut. Dumping everything back into her bag to be properly sorted and cleaned later, Hermione got ready to leave and meet her new guardian, exiting the hospital ward alongside Albus when he came to collect her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 4: A New Home?


	4. A New Home?

Aberforth Dumbledore in this time looked just as disgruntled as he would be in twenty years' time. Hermione had just arrived in front of the bar of the Hogs Head after a stroll alone through Hogsmeade, observing the slight changes from her own time. It was thankfully class time on the last day of term at Hogwarts, so she had not encountered any passing students, and Albus had left her at the school boundary, allowing her to explore Hogsmeade alone.

After giving her name to her new guardian, he grunted noncommittally and she was led up to a sparsely decorated room situated at the back of the building. Indicating a small, worn chest and drawers and wardrobe that lay against one wall, he apologized about the lack of storage space. Hermione clocked the slight glance towards the small beaded bag that she was holding and decided to offer the proverbial olive branch.

"I take it that Dumbledore told you of my situation then?"

"Albus." He quickly interrupted, "As my own name is also Dumbledore I would prefer it if you referred to my brother by his first name or something else. You may call me Aberforth and yes, I know about the circumstances with which you came here." 

"Do you have any questions? Or do u just want to stare at me suspiciously from now on?" She joked with a small smile.

Slightly flustered that he had been caught, he snorted and left the room, allowing her to unpack what little she had. It had turned out that the majority of the clothes she owned were practically unwearable with the amount of wear and tear they had endured. Nonetheless, a couple of Harry and Ron's old shorts and t-shirts that she had kept in her bag were wearable and so she changed out of the clothes that Madame Pomfrey had given her.

As she began to sort her clothes into two piles and then proceeded to burn one, and pack the other away into her drawers, she realised that her first task would be to shop for clothes. She could see that the small amount of money that she had kept in the beaded bag would not stretch far and concluded that she would also have to get a job.

When she had finished sorting the room out she was called downstairs to eat a small meal of Shepard's Pie. Aberforth continued to gaze at her so she averted her eyes to the framed portrait of Arianna that would become the passageway that took her, Harry and Ron into the castle. Aberforth noticed where she was looking and visibly stiffened.

"I do not want to know what you know of the future of this war, or any of the people that I know and especially not myself. However, it is obvious that you know something's about my life and it would probably save time to know what you know about what has already happened to me."

Relieved to finally break the tension, Hermione quickly replied, "I know about Arianna, and in the circumstances she died including your brother and Grindelwald, I know that you are a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and I know that your patronus is a goat. Other than that, everything else is a mystery because I have only spoken to you once, and for only half an hour."

He snorted, "Half an hour? You must be a fast worker if you got all of that out of me in only half an hour." At that she looked up and returned his small smile.

"Hmmm yes, I have been known to be persistent and quite annoying at times, they even used to call me the brightest witch of my time back then, so feel free to shut me up when I go off on one." At that slip of the tongue she reconsidered what she had said.

"That is, not back then, but in a time that technically does not exist yet, and probably never will now that I am here. So I don't really know what I am anymore…" her smile slipped and she became very interested in a knot in the grain of wood in the table.

Picking up on this change of mood, Aberforth quickly intercepted, "But is there something you really wish you could do or become, but were held back by what everyone thought of you? Seeing as you no longer really exist, you could completely reinvent yourself as Hermione Dumbledore." 

Having never heard her name said out loud in that way, Hermione started whispering the name to herself, testing how it rolled off the tongue. It broke her heart to part ways with her family name, but it had to be done just in case there was some unforeseen anomaly, and a baby Hermione was born in two years time.

She smiled weakly at Aberforth's attempt at cheering her up and refocused on her food before asking him about jobs over the upcoming holidays at The Hog's Head. Although the gesture had touched her, she could see that Aberforth was uncomfortable acting in the role of a guardian, so she fought it wise to direct the conversation to something he was comfortable with.

* * *

Hermione had not yet slept in this new world, so when she got back to her room she sagged in exhaustion. She had gone to bed early because it was getting close to the busiest time in the pub and Aberforth had to leave to help. Hermione quickly changed and crawled into her bed.

Staring up at the ceiling of her room and listening to the ruckus below her, Hermione suddenly realised that this was the first time since she had awoken where she hadn't been planning, strategizing or simply getting used to her surroundings. In the heavy quiet it occurred to her how alone she was.

Feelings of despair hit her like a truck. Everyone she had ever known either did not exist yet or did not know her from Adam. There was no one who would understand her situation, no one who could properly empathise with what she had lost and no one that could truly comfort her.

She herself could barely comprehend it, so how could a stranger who knew nothing of her life story possibly try. Even if she made new friends, they could not compare. It's like when you go to a different secondary school and try to meet new people, regaling inside jokes and funny anecdotes. However, no one knows what you are talking about, cares to find out more and you don't have a clue what they're talking about either.

Speaking of, she was going to have to go about her life pretending not to know life shattering information about the people close to her. She would have to pass Professor Lupin in the halls on the eve of the full moon and pretend to not notice how he was feeling. Or share a dorm with Lily Evans knowing the exact number of days she would still have on this earth. 

Furthermore, she pondered with a whimper, she would have to look into those deep green eyes of her and be forced to remember the friend she had lost. Her Harry was dead no matter the outcome. Either she saved his parents lives and he was shaped into a completely different person with the experience of a loving family, or she would fail and he would eventually die again, just like the first time but without her help this time.

Her memories of childhood would never happen, and then she would be burdened with an existence that could have been. When her memories would fade, there would be no one there to remind her or joke about the glory days. Her entire existence in this timeline was a paradox and she was the anomaly.

More sobs racked her body as she realised that she would never embrace her parents again. Imagine that, a stranger coming up to you on the street and claiming she was your daughter, yet she was only a couple years younger than yourself. Removing their memories was difficult, but the thought that those memories would never happen in the first place pretty much cleaved her heart in two.

The Weasley family had become a sort of magical family by proxy but it occurred to her that if she made those connections again, it would never be in the same context. Mrs Weasley would be a peer rather than a motherly figure, and the Weasley boys would be like nephews. Ginny would be a child, when previously they had been gossiping teens, giggling about awkward interactions with boys and their first kisses.

Ron was a weird problem to think about. She had spent practically the past five years falling in love with him and constantly being there for him as his friend. However, when they had kissed on the battlefield she had definitely felt something missing. It was an odd conundrum because she now felt incredibly guilty for even thinking this.

There he was dead, and she was healthy and safe, and yet she had felt nothing. Was this great love something she had built up in her head? Sure, the kiss had been okay and on par with those from Krum and Cormac, but she hadn't felt anything new. Had he? Whatever the answer, now she couldn't tell him about her loss of romantic feelings or even know if he felt the same.

Her body was soon overcome, snot and tears streaming down her face as her frame was wracked with sobs. She tried to be quiet but it felt like her breath would not come fast enough so she had to resort to taking great but gulps of air wherever possible. At some point in the evening she began to notice that the sounds of the pub's patrons had disappeared and all that she was left with was stone cold silence. 

Ashamed that Aberforth might have walked past and heard her crying, Hermione got out of bed to go to the bathroom to clean herself up. As she opened the door she jumped back at the sight that greeted her. Aberforth's goat patronus was curled up just outside the door as if to protect herself from the bad thoughts that she was experiencing. 

The thought that this grumpy, austere man had felt the need to comfort her in this time of need greatly touched her. She knew that he would never hug or hold her like her own parents would have because that is not how he worked, but even this small gesture made her feel loved. 

It was due to this that a small smile graced her face when she drifted off to sleep ten minutes later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 5: Meeting the Order


	5. Meeting the Order

Breakfast was awkward to say the least. Neither of them talked about her crying, or the fact that both of them knew he knew about it. Instead he just asked what her plans for the day were. She also discovered that there was an Order meeting tonight with the purpose of inducting her.

He initially suggested that she take the Hogwarts express back to London with the returning students, but the thought of getting on that train without her friends when everyone else was enjoying their last day sounded horrific. Instead she was going to apparate because her body was technically 18, meaning that the trace was longer keeping tabs on her.

Aberforth had agreed to go with her in the morning because they first needed to go to the Ministry to sort out a birth certificate if anyone checked. Hermione was dubious that this would work but he said that he had a friend who owed a favour and they would forge it. She also intended to get her apparition test passed.

By lunchtime, they were eating lunch in the Leaky Cauldron before parting ways. Despite her predilections, she now officially existed and was the daughter of two deceased friends of Aberforth's, named Colin and Joan. She also could now legally apparate. She was unsurprised to say that the Ministry had not changed at all and still had the same tasteless statue in the main foyer.

When Aberforth left, she wandered down Diagon Alley, glancing at a few shops that had not been there in the future. First she went into Madame Malkins to get measured for some robes and to choose a few patterns, and then left to continue the day whilst they were getting made.

After that she went straight to her favourite shop. Flourish and Blotts was also very similar to Hermione's time, which she found incredibly comforting because it was here where she had always felt safe and cosy. Unfortunately she did not have enough money yet to buy anything other than clothes so she just longingly looked at the book spines.

She soon left Diagon Alley to explore Muggle London and the clothes shops it contained. She almost laughed aloud when she first got onto the street because she had completely forgotten about 70s fashion. Clearly flared trousers were still in style.

She circulated around a number of shops and collected some jeans and other comfy clothes in this style for her everyday wear. Thank God that the British currency had changed in 1971 because if she had to work out how to pay using pennies and shillings then she would be in real trouble. 

With that settled, she took in her greatly depleted supplies of cash; it turns out that if you buy an entire new wardrobe it costs quite a lot. Hermione concluded that she would need to return again when she got her school supplies in order to get some more wintery clothes when she had the money. 

Finally, she returned to Madame Malkins to collect the 3 robes that she could afford; one in black, one in navy blue, and one in maroon. After shrinking all of her bags she made her way back to the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron before flooring back home to Aberforth's. She needed to strategize a plan for her induction into the order. 

* * *

The maroon robe was actually quite flattering, she pondered as she looked at herself in the mirror. Hermione had decided that the plan of action would be to blend into the background so that the older members would not think that she thought best, and knew much more than all of them put together. After all, no one liked a know it all.

From experience, she knew that although no one in the order would think her lesser than them because of her blood status, they may see her as less educated if she were to turn up in a state and talk rudely. As unlike her as it was, she knew that she must pander to the pure bloods in the way they expected in order to get them to respect her on first impressions. After that, she would drop all pretence and get down to business. 

Aberforth met her downstairs by the floo with a look of shock on his face. This new Hermione was much different from the one he had seen, and she wore her cool expression as if it were war paint along with her steady stance and broad shoulders. She was not afraid and she would not go into that meeting letting them think that she was just a little child again. 

After arriving at the headquarters, Hermione was surprised that it was not at Grimmauld Place, before she remembered that the Blacks were all alive and would still be living there. Instead, they arrived in a castle-like room with fires on each wall. Hermione would find out later that this was in fact the home of her favourite professor, Professor McGonagall. 

When she had stumbled out of the fire she had been side-tracked by brushing the soot of her robes to notice the looks that were shot her way. When she looked up the majority of them had disappeared, and she decided to settle in one corner away from everything, in order to scope out the situation. 

Aberforth had agreed to arrive with her earlier than usual so not many people were there yet. The first that she saw was a significantly less scarred Mad Eye Moody, still with two eyes and a whole nose. This man had not taken his eyes off of her since she had arrived and she met his eyes in a level manner, refusing to look away first. A noncommittal grunt of acceptance was all she got before he looked away to carry on his conversation with a stranger.

Next was McGonagall who gave her a small smile and continued to talk to a young Kingsley Shacklebolt, who looked like he had only graduated a couple of years prior. As her eyes skimmed the room she noticed a couple people that she remembered from her 'Death Book' and grimaced before arriving on a group of redheads.

The Weasleys were in much fewer supply than the last time she had attended an Order meeting. This time there was only a considerably younger looking Molly, Arthur struggling with a toddler holding a toy dragon, and two adult twins, one holding a baby Percy and the other talking to a young Bill. Hermione gasped as she realised that she was looking at Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Molly's brothers who would be murdered in 1981. 

Noticing her stare, one of the twins looked up and met her eye, a suspicious and questioning glint taking over as he began to walk towards her. Fortunately for her there was suddenly a flurry of activity as a few more people arrived. Hermione glimpsed faces of the McKinnons and a Benjy Finwick before the Potters arrived.

Harry's grandparents were exactly as she had pictured them. They were quite old and greying but both of their features were filled with huge smiles that lit up the room. She saw many people jump up to greet them as she was beyond glad that they were well liked. Over the clammer of new voices she was sure she heard them talk of how happy they were to finally have their boys back at home for the holidays. 

Her perusal of the room was soon stopped when Dumbledore stepped from the nearest fireplace and stood at the top of a table in the centre of the room. Everyone else followed and sat down, a few remained standing, Hermione included. Albus noticed this and gave her a warm smile, before beginning the meeting.

It was some time later that the attention was brought back to Hermione, in order to close the meeting and initiate her. "I'm sure you have all noticed that we have one more head than usual at today's meeting," Dumbledore began and everyone's eyes swivelled around to her. "Hermione here has recently come to me with some information and I have decided to bring her into The Order. However, due to the circumstances surrounding her arrival, I cannot fully disclose where she has come from."

Immediately a bout of muttering of disapproval sprung up, either regarding her trustfulness or about her age. Predictively, Moody seemed to be the most suspicious and demanded that Dumbledore explain more about Hermione's information and situation. Surprisingly, the Potters viewed her in a similar way, which hurt Hermione slightly, but she could also see the pitying look in Mrs Potter's eye regarding her age.

It seemed that no matter what timeline she was in, Mrs Weasley still thought that she was too young and her loud complaints filled the room. Although initially touched by the gesture that reminded her so much of her own time, Hermione was annoyed to have to deal with the same old story as before.

Fed up, she looked at Dumbledore to see if he would butt in to help her but he seemed to find the whole ordeal amusing. Suddenly, she was reminded that this was the man that had forced three underage students to take down the most powerful dark wizard who had ever lived, without much help at all. Uncaring of how rude it may be considered she strode around to the front of the table and stood with Dumbledore, causing the room to quieten.

"Hello. I don't expect you to fully trust me…" she began and a few people huffed in agreement, "...but know that I will do everything in my power to take Voldemort down." Now she had their attention as even during his early rise to power, barely anyone dared to say his name. She smirked at the small gasps and shocked faces before glancing towards Aberforth, and then taking in the room again.

"I have recently had my family and friends ripped away from me by that monster, and nothing will stop me from killing him. I know I look young but I have been battling the same evil from the day I came into your world and I don't intend to stop anytime soon." Appreciating the silence her little speech had created, she took the time to explain that her muggle family in France had been murdered by the Death Eaters and she had transferred from Beauxbatons to stay with Aberforth and study in the safety of Hogwarts.

It seemed that this didn't help her as much as she had expected because everyone broke out into argument once more.

"You are letting a traumatized child join…"

"What could she possibly contribute to…"

"She can't be much older than my Jam…."

"How do we know that she is not lying about her story…"

"Oh poor dear, she should be resting rather than dealing with more fighting…"

"How could a muggleborn girl such as this have information…"

Amazed by the backwards views of these people regarding not only her age but also her sex and blood status, she had to remind herself that this was twenty years earlier and she was used to. Furthermore, many in the room had grown up with the staunch attitudes of wizarding society that seem to be fifty years behind the muggle world. 

Annoyed that her play at intimidation had not worked, she sighed and signalled to Dumbledore to step in. He reminded the room that he trusted her and had chosen to protect her, but it was up to her guardian whether she joined. Many eyes turned to Aberforth but he didn't seem to be listening, so they gave up and let Hermione join.

After waiting years with Harry and Ron to join the Order, Hermione found that she was a bit disappointed with the initiation. It wasn't anything special, she was just asked to repeat a vow and asked to sign a sheet that reminded her greatly of the sign up sheet she had made for Dumbledore's Army. 

When that was finished and everyone began to disperse, Dumbledore took Hermione aside and introduced her to Moody, explaining that she would be spending her time training with the auror all summer. Although he still looked suspicious of her, his curiosity had won and he had agreed.

When they finally left, it was just Dumbledore, Aberforth and her remaining in the room, and she didn't miss the frosty way the brothers departed. Deciding to file that away for later she turned to her guardian when they were back in his kitchen.

"I didn't know it was up to you whether I could join or not, but either way thanks for letting me,"

"Well, technically you are almost 19 so it shouldn't really be up to anyone other than you, but seeing as no one else still at school is usually allowed to join, I had to pretend to maintain the story."

"Oh," she replied, "Thanks anyway, I don't think I could have dealt with someone else being patronising after your brother left me to the wolves." She replied with a huff of annoyance.

It seemed that her willingness to view Dumbledore as less than perfect had heartened Hermione to Aberforth and she could see the semblance of a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 6: The Summer Holidays


	6. The Summer Holidays

The summer holidays seemed to pass both quickly and excruciating slowly. There were times when she was studying the horcruxes when she became aware of how little time she had left. Yet when she lay trying to get to sleep at night, the enormous weight of her loneliness and isolation made the time pass much too slowly. 

She had soon got into the routine of visiting the castle 3 times a week to practice duelling with Moody. At first they had started practicing in the Great Hall but things got out of hand quickly, so instead they travelled by floo to McGonagall's home to duel in her expansive grounds. 

At first it was immediately apparent that Hermione was severely lacking when it came to her duelling, which sourly reminded her of when she had gotten only an E in her Defence Against The Dark Arts OWL. When her results arrived later in the summer - she had sneakily taken her OWLs again in order to pretend that she did them at Beauxbatons - she was happy to see all O's.

Her months of malnutrition from camping had left her slow and more fragile than she was comfortable with. However, she noticed with a smug smile, that Moody was very surprised with the number of spells she was aware of and could proficiently perform. The problem was combining them with rapid movement in order to gain the upper hand in a fight. 

Hermione was amazed by how muggle the process was but realised that this may have been why Harry could beat highly trained Death Eaters; they simply saw it as beneath themselves to train like muggles. She had been ordered to spend each morning running around the Hogwarts grounds in order to increase her stamina and often spent a couple of hours working on hand to hand fighting methods instead of wandwork. 

When Moody had discovered that all Hermione had flown was the introductory lesson in first year he soon demanded that she spend whenever she could flying as well, before incorporating duelling whilst flying into the final weeks of her lessons. She found this absolutely terrifying. It was no big secret among her friends back in her time that Hermione was afraid of heights so to ask her to fight whilst flying was no small feat. 

It was Aberforth that helped Hermione overcome this in a surprising show of affection. They had taken to asking one another about their morning and previous evening at lunchtimes because they both worked in the pub in the evening. It was at one of these times when she had brought up her fear of flying and Moody's request, and was surprised when she woke up the next day to find that Aberforth had somehow sourced two dusty brooms from somewhere.

He spent the morning reteaching himself as much as teaching Hermione, which made her feel much more at ease now that they were in the same boat. They started by tying their brooms to tree stumps and just practicing staying upwards, but soon lengthened the string attaching them to the ground. During the next day of practicing, she began to find the string annoying and severed it altogether, finding herself surprisingly enjoying the freeing experience.

The whole experience with Aberforth felt very odd. It almost felt like a similar defining moment as when your parents teach you to ride a bike for the first time. When she had cut away from the string and started using Harry's faster Firebolt, she would occasionally spot Aberforth watching her with a funny look in his eye. If she didn't know any better she would have to say that it looked like pride.

In a surprising turn of events, Hermione got over her fear of flying and began to use it as a form of therapy, allowing her to clear her head and experience her limits. She knew that she would never enjoy Quidditch, especially if it involved flying with other people or anything that involved catching or collisions. However, she liked to see how fast she could get and then how quickly she could stop, of course making sure that she was in no real danger. 

This calmed her to an extent, but she still had terrible nightmares each night, primarily revolving around her night at Malfoy Manor and the night of the battle. Every time she walked past a place in the castle that would bring back a memory she was forced to relive that over and over again each night, yet found that it was easier to walk past the spot again the next day.

At the beginning of the summer she had assumed that she was quiet in her agony but with increasing frequency she would notice the goat patronus outside her door in the mornings and in the middle of the night when Aberforth forgot to remove it. Soon, she began to wake up to the patronus staring into her eyes from across the room, lying on her feet, or snuggling against her chin as she recovered from a bout of tears. 

After a particularly bad night where she was forced to endure the cruciatus curse over and over again, she woke screaming into the arms of Aberforth who had given up on using the goat in this extreme instance. Hermione soon realised that this was the first hug she had had in a while which saddened her greatly, and clung to the man that had taken a father figure in her life.

She had also realised that the carer also hadn't seemed to hold anyone in a while so she made it her mission to comfort him as he comforted her in her times of need. Although the goat didn't go away, Hermione found that it was Aberforth that woke her up when her dreams got really bad, which was much easier. Unfortunately the dreams themselves didn't go away or lessened, but they were more bearable when she wasn't alone.

He never asked her what happened in the dreams and Hermione was grateful. She decided that she would give Aberforth a quick hug every night, or a squeeze of the hand, or kiss of the cheek to make sure he knew that he was appreciated. At first he was a bit awkward, but soon the gestures became quite warm. It turned out that the bitter man she had experienced in the future could be softened by some time and company.

The rest of her time with Aberforth was primarily spent eating lunch together talking about what she was reading or about the goings on at the pub they had experienced the night before. She found an odd sense of calm and familiarity at these times and in the hour that followed when they would sit together drinking tea; her reading and occasionally helping Aberforth with his crossword.

After that, they would spend each evening tending to the pub where she would work behind the bar and with waitressing. Hermione was unsurprised to see that the level of cleanliness at the Hog's Head had not changed much over the years so the first thing she had done was thoroughly clean every bottle, glass and cup they owned. 

Hoping she hadn't overstepped her mark, she then asked to buy a dishwasher and a battery (because the Hog's Head had no Muggle plugs) in order to make Aberforth's life easier. Although he had originally disagreed and been distrustful of the muggle machinery, his opinion changed when he saw how efficient the process now was. He soon followed this up by buying a kettle, and a few other appliances at her suggestion.

Hermione had quickly become comfortable with the regulars in the pub and had gleefully watched when they noticed the change and Aberforth demonstrated the dishwasher as if it were an artifact from space. In her mind she was already imagining setting him up a playdate with Arthur Weasley to discuss the finer points of muggle equipment.

During her time at the pub she had grown much more comfortable with Aberforth and grew into her skin a bit more. Because no one knew her, this meant that she could act differently and try out new ways of behaving without judgement, and she really came out of her shell. Hermione had found that she grew confidence at talking to strangers and was a lot more relaxed when focussing on the task at hand rather than the impending horcrux hunt, or her absent friends.

It also became clear that the Hog's Head was being used as a way to gain information for The Order because she recognised another one of their staff who was there to spy. Benjy Fenwick had just graduated from Hogwarts this past year and was quickly changing her perceptions of Hufflepuffs. Despite the exceptions of Tonks and Cedric Diggory, she had still seen Hufflepuffs as very quiet, timid and shy. Benjy, however, never seemed to shut up, and spent the majority of his time either flirting with their customers, Hermione, or both at the same time. She found this highly amusing and they soon became friends when he realised that this would not work on Hermione, although he continued to flirt outrageously. 

This friendship became especially helpful when a customer had one too many drinks and decided that Hermione was too beautiful to resist, though she didn't understand why. In the rare times that this happened Benjy and Aberforth would both rise to her defence like a protective brother and father that would have been endearing had she not found it incredibly sexist and patronising. They soon learnt to let her have a go at the handsy customers first when Benjy had got in the way of a particularly vicious Bat Bogey Hex that would have made Ginny Weasley proud.

His company in Order meetings was also very helpful because it meant that not everyone in the room hated her. Furthermore, he had also introduced Hermione to the Prewett twins which she found comforting in a painful way due to the similarity of these men to their namesakes from her time. When they snuck up on her, as they usually did, she always had to hold herself back from scolding them with the wrong names. 

With the twins, came the curious gaze of Mrs Weasley who always pretended to be strictly listening to the talks to show a good example to her children that would play on the floor beside the meeting, on a silenced playmat. However, Hermione often noticed her stifling a giggle at something she had overheard the twins saying to Hermione or Benjy or to her new friend Dorcas.

Dorcas Meadowes and the twins had graduated the year before Benjy and Hermione had soon gained a good rapport with her. As she had read in the 'Death Book', Dorcas gave off an aura of mystery and power that she had expected when she had read that Voldemort had killed her himself. However, she could not put her finger on what it came from because she was training to be an Unspeakable.

Other than some of the younger members, Moody and Aberforth, none of the other members had really warmed to Hermione during the summer. After Dumbledore had promised that she was trusted and had information, they had expected results, yet nothing appeared to be happening. Instead they had seemed to notice as the interactions between Hermione and Dumbledore got more short and despondent.

This was a result of Hermione distancing herself from the Professor. Due to his actions in the first Order meeting and with how he always seemed to talk down to her like a child, she had decided that she owed the man nothing. If he had chosen to keep them in the dark on the first time around, then he could get a taste of his own medicine.

Of course she realised how petty and childish this was but it was incredibly satisfying to watch Dumbledore trail after her. Furthermore, she knew that if she gave him all of the information at once then he would do his own research and leave her in the dark again until the last moment, and she was not letting that happen again. Instead she had agreed to give him a list of things that would happen and who would die, that the Order as a whole could deal with, and nothing that would hint to the existence of any horcruxes.

When she wasn't working at the pub or training with Moody, Hermione spent a lot of her time in Hogwarts Library researching horcruxes and other possible knowledge she might need to survive. As Dumbledore did not know what she was researching and had not yet become suspicious of horcruxes all of the books he had confiscated from the restricted section were still there. Or the multiple occasions when he would try to sneak into the library to convince her to tell him what she was working on or to spy himself, she transfigured the books into books regarding the complex systems of menstrual cycles, pregnancy potions and the like. These would make him blush and hopefully assume that she was just a fragile woman that everyone seemed to expect her to be.

By the end of her summer, she had put on a lot more weight and had also discovered some muscles in her arms and legs that had not been there before. She also had noticed that, although she was not happy, she felt better, now that she had a routine and a handful of people to joke with. Without her friends or anyone from her time, she still felt unbearably alone with no one to talk to. However, this sharp stab of pain and despair had lessened to a dull throb at the back of her mind; always there and present, but not so acute.

* * *

It turns out that when you take up exercise after 18 years of nothing and start eating again that your body changes quite considerably. With this in mind, Hermione packed her beaded bag to prepare for a trip to Diagon Alley to collect some more clothes and school supplies. Even when you haven't been on the run for a while, it's still difficult to shake the fact that you don't need to be ready to run on a moment's notice, so Hermione still continued to carry a slightly less filled bag in her sock.

When Aberforth asked if she needed accompaniment on her way out she declined and continued towards the floo. Similar to the last time she had been there, Diagon Alley was bright and joyful, no longer blighted by the depths of a war. Although this time it was considerably more crowded due to the throngs of school children rushing to get their last minute supplies.

Glad that it had not yet reached rush hour Hermione prioritised her list of items she needed, including her school robes so that she could pick them up later that day. Pleased that she had picked up the majority of what needed to be collected, she shrunk her bags and made her way out into the muggle world.

Unlike last time she had been here, the heat had faded and the clothes shops she visited now had the autumnal lines available. Passing a long line of coats, Hermione was glad that Aberforth had already bought her a coat as a gift considering the hefty prices that were listed. She may have been working all summer but she didn't have that much money!

It seemed that her grumble at the prices had not been as quiet as she thought when she heard some tinkling laughter across from her in the next aisle. " Don't worry I quite agree. The prices on these coats are outrageous, even if they look incredibly comfy."

The voice came from a girl about her own age who had a mass of wavy auburn hair surrounding her face. As the sun shone through it from the window beyond her, Hermione got the sudden feeling of déjà vu of her younger ginger friend. However, this soon faded when the girl stepped out of the light, reminding Hermione that this was not 1997.

"Oh this is nothing yet, I have to buy almost an entire new wardrobe yet before school starts and I'm dreading the final bill!" Hermione grinned in return, knowing that the love of bargains will help any Brit bond, no matter what decade.

The other girl nodded her head in agreement, "I find myself in much the same predicament seeing as I rarely go shopping for clothes. I usually only go when friends force me because it actually stresses me out." She grimaced at the sight of an over laden basket in her hands. 

"Oh finally!" Hermione teased, "Another girl who can't see the appeal. You wouldn't by any chance know where the sale section is so I can get this over with?" The other girl's eyes widened and she looked guilty for a second, gesturing to her basket, "Um, I have actually just decided to buy half of it already sorry…"

They chuckled together before the redhead directed her to the right section. They joked about a couple fluorescent items that stuck out from the shelves and wondered why they hadn't been bought before the girl indicated she had to leave.

"Well I have to go find my mum and my sister before they give up on me as a lost cause but it was nice talking to you." Hermione grinned as she realised just how bereft she has been of any female company lately. She held out her hand to shake " Hermione."

"Oh is that from Shakespeare? Which play was that from again?" Amazed that she had found a girl who hates shopping and obviously read, Hermione was dumbfounded for a second. Just as she managed a reply the girl was being beckoned away by a woman who appeared to be her mother and a sour faced girl that must have been her sister. It was not until Hermione had finished paying that she realised that she hadn't actually got the name of the friendly girl.

By the time she had eaten her sandwich and made it back to Diagon Alley it was absolutely packed. Groaning at the crush of people that she would be forced to squash past, Hermione decided to escape to her favourite shop instead, to pick up a bit of light reading material.

The smell of old tomes and brand new books comforted her as soon as she walked in the door of Flourish and Blotts. Determined to get away from the crush of students buying their new school books, she immediately made for the furthest corner of the expansive shop, trailing her fingers along the spines of the books as she passed.

She was so distracted by what books she was passing that she didn't notice a boy that was standing in her way. Remus Lupin was wrapped up in his own little world trying to pile book after book on top of themselves beside him. Unfortunately Hermione tripped over said pile, causing them to fly into every possible direction.

"Sorry! Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, and it's so busy in here and…. Oh I can't believe I just did that!" She rambled as she scrambled to pick up Remus's books as he did the same. Finally they reached the last book and managed to bang their heads together when they both reached for it at the same time.

"Ow." They both said at the same time and smiled, looking into each other's faces for the first time. Hermione thankfully managed to hold in the gasp that fought to break out, and was glad that the boy didn't yet recognise her as the girl from the hospital wing at the end of last year.

"Usually it's me who's walking into people whilst reading," he joked and helped her to her feet, brushing his robes down. "I suppose it didn't help that I left a considerably large tripping hazard."

Used to Professor Lupin's dry humour, Hermione smiled and replied, glancing at the title of the book at the top of his newly constructed pile."Well who can blame you,  _ The Problems and Merits of Grindylow Care  _ does seem rather interesting…" 

He sniggered and narrowed his eyes at her, "As if someone other than me would be interested in this stuff. Well you learn something new everyday."

"You certainly intend to with that pile." She quipped and they both chuckled.

"Remus Lupin by the way," he said extending his hand, "I don't think I've seen you around here before?"

" Oh yes," she remembered, shifting what was left of his book pile to the other arm so she could shake hands, "I'm new to the country, I'm Hermione Dumbledore."

Predictably his eyes expanded comically, but was saved a reply when the raucous laughter of three boys turning around the corner butted in. "Of course Moony would want to meet us in the darkest depths of Blotts where no one can see the light of day, I reckon he's got a book fetish if that even is a thing…"

"Oooohhhh, only you would find yourself a girlfriend in a bookshop!" Came a louder cry when the trio caught sight of them.

Hermione noticed a blush rising to Remus's cheeks before she turned around to address the rest of the Marauders. She hadn't got a good look at them with the state she had been all those months ago so took the time to take in their appearances.

Peter Pettigrew was a short boy with a slight pudge around his waist and a hesitant wariness in his watery blue eyes. You could tell that he was less sure of himself than his friends due to his body language which seemed to keep twitching as if he were preparing to flee at any moment. Hermione couldn't help but feel a stab of annoyance and anger when she took in the man that would betray his friends and become a murderer.

Almost exhibiting the complete opposite of the boy, James Potter gave a calm and steady impression that reflected his childhood of being a pureblood only child. The self assurance, however, did not liken to that of Draco Malfoy, who would parade about as if he owned the place, sneering at anything he saw as beneath him. The tall boy was muscled by years of what she could only assume of rigourous Quidditch training, and his open and welcoming smile made him immediately attractive and endearing.

On the other hand, Sirius Black looked absolutely beautiful. As Hermione took in his angular face and thick, shiny hair she couldn't help blushing slightly; this was the boy before years of neglect at Azkaban. He had strolled in with a cocky self-satisfied air of complete comfort, very much demonstrating that he knew how attractive he was. Years of beater training had also been kind to the boy, and Hermione couldn't help but avert her eyes from the piercing dark stare of his bottomless eyes when he took her in.

Turning back to Remus, she took in the clothes that already were starting to look shabby and loose, and regarded the quiet resignation that seemed to exude from his person. "Sorry to disappoint boys, but Remus here just became the victim of my latest bout of clumsiness." She grinned and put her hand on the nervous boy's arm and continued in a teasing way, " Although I can't complain, if I were lucky enough to bag him!" 

Remus's blush deepened and his mouth opened in surprise while the boys behind her choked out a laugh or two. Surprised by her own forwardness and flirtatious behaviour towards a man that had once been her own professor, Hermione shook herself and turned to introduce herself to the rest of the group.

"I'm Hermione by the way," 

"Nice to meet you, I'm James, this is Peter, and that fool over there is Sirius," James said, indicating each person in turn. Sirius was gestured to last and took the opportunity to reach for Hermione's hand to place a kiss upon it in the cheesy way that often got girls melting for him.

Hermione, however, was used to his antics thanks to living with him all summer before her 5th year, and just rolled her eyes. This seemed to make something click in the dark haired boy's mundane he grasped her hand more tightly , dragging her forward slightly.

"You're that girl," he began, all levity gone as complete seriousness took over his features, "We met in the last week of term when you arrived in the hospital wing." At this statement the other boys looked more closely at her and gasped.

Hermione groaned, wishing that she could have had more time before addressing this particular issue. "Of course, it must have been you that helped me find Uncle Albus, sorry everything was a blur back then so I must have missed your names." She smiled hoping that they would accept her lie.

"Uncle Albus?"

"Are you alright now?" 

The boys all asked a question at once but she focussed on the boy still holding onto her, "What happened to you, one second you were bleeding all over us in the hospital wing, and then you were gone?" Well at least he gets to the point quickly.

"Oh don't worry about that, I simply splinched myself on the way over. International travel is particularly tricky, especially when I didn't take into account the heavy wards surrounding the castle. Albus lowered them in the Great Hall for me, but that's still a very small place to pinpoint." She lied through her teeth.

She saw the doubt in all of their faces, knowing that they didn't really buy her story. The extent of her injuries at the time definitely surpassed even the worst cases of splinching. Yet she tried to distract them by replying to their other questions.

"Yes, I call Professor Dumbledore my uncle because that is what he has become. I recently transferred from Beauxbatons to live with his brother whilst I prepare for my last year at Hogwarts." She began regarding James before moving onto Peter, "Thank you, I'm perfectly alright, I think it's Remus here who's in more danger of injuries with my big feet tripping over him."

Her stab at humour didn't seem to work very well as they continued to look at her with worried eyes. She sighed and made to leave before James started out talking again, clearly seeing that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh good old Abe, poor you, the grumpy old sod had been refusing us firewhiskey for years. Think you could put in a good word for us when we return to school?" His welcoming smile was so much like his son's that Hermione immediately felt at ease.

"Oh yes," Pettigrew leapt in, "We'll be in the same year, we might even be in the same house. Have you been sorted yet?"

"Not yet, Uncle Albus completely refuses to tell me how the sorting takes place so I assume that I will be sorted with the other first years. Is it a difficult process?" She channelled how she had felt before her first year and imitated a hesitant and scared look.

Seeking to realise the opportunity they had to tease the poor girl, both Potter and Black's eyes lit up and they began to open their mouths. Fortunately Lupin interrupted, "Don't worry it's really easy and you don't really have to do anything at all." 

She fake sighed and then chuckled at the glares that the other boys were sending towards their studious friend. "Are Grindylows part of the content?" She began and soon Lupin and her were talking books again, as they strolled to the desk to pay. The other boys were walking behind them slightly and muttering under their breaths, no doubt talking about her.

They all finished paying and began to part ways on the street outside. "Well I'm definitely looking forward to spending time with you next year, sweetheart," Sirius began, loading on the charm yet again, only to be disappointed when Hermione didn't notice.

"Of course, I feel so much better knowing at least a few people that I'll be at school with." She replied in an excited voice, "I shouldn't be on the train seeing as I live in Hogsmeade so I'll see you at the first feast?" She asked with trepidation, hoping she wasn't being too needy from these people she had just met.

"Definitely," Peter replied, "We'll see you no matter what house you are sorted into, except possibly Slytherin." At that, Hermione looked at the boy that would betray his friends and wondered how such a friendly, kind boy could sink so far.

"Thanks," she replied and wandered off to find her finished robes, leaving the four boys staring after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 7: The Final First Day


	7. The Final First Day

The sight of the Hogwarts Express moving into Hogsmeade station both calmed Hermione and set her on edge. This was the last time that she would go to an opening feast as a student, and yet she knew absolutely no one in attendance. 

She was standing at the kitchen window after collecting her bags from upstairs, the contents of which had grown much larger since her shopping trips. Aberforth stood behind her grumbling at the sheer volume of students that flooded into his village. Hermione sighed and attached some name tags to her luggage that would send them up to the castle to be sorted with everyone else's. 

With everything sorted she turned towards her surrogate carer and smiled at his pinched expression. Although he pretended to be grumpy and annoyed all the time it was clear that he would miss her, even though she had agreed to visit every Saturday to help at the pub. They embraced firmly before breaking apart while he fixed her brand new robes and then she left to get a carriage with the rest of the students.

At first no one seemed to notice her as she was quickly swallowed by the throng of students fighting for a carriage. Luckily for her, she was quite small and therefore inconspicuous but that quickly changed after a harsh shout of her name.

"Oi Dumbledore!" Not used to being called by her new surname, Hermione looked around in confusion before laying her eyes upon three friendly faces. Remus and Sirius's heads towered over the crowds and she smiled as she also took in the watery eyes of their smaller friend before he tripped over someone's suitcase.

Both friends openly laughed at the boy in what Hermione uncomfortably thought was quite unkind before helping him to his feet and arriving at Hermione's side. The smaller boy grimaced in an abashed way as his face reddened with embarrassment.

"I thought I was glad to see her, but Wormy is so excited that he can't even walk in a straight line. What are you gonna do next, wet yourself?" Hermione frowned at the cruel way that Sirius bullied his friend and Remus did nothing to stop. How can these boys be the same men that Harry looked up to all those years in the future?

She levelled her stare at the teenager, "Well it may be difficult for you to understand, but some people need some more interesting company, so who can blame Peter for jumping at the chance to spend time with anyone other than you?"

Sirius was used to women finding their group's playful teasing of Peter funny and endearing, so to hear this girl biting back shocked the boy into silence. Hermione used this to her advantage to turn to the smaller boy, linking arms and walking off to find a carriage. She didn't miss the thankful smile he shot at her in return.

"Hey Remus, where's James?" She called back to him, "From what I gathered from the last time I met you, you guys seemed to be joined at the hip." Remus chuckled at the dumbfounded look on Sirius's face before following the pair into a carriage. He was quietly glad that there was finally someone who could hold off against Sirius's charms and didn't mind putting him in his place.

"James is stuck doing some Head Boy duties, but he said that he would meet us at the feast. He didn't want to miss your sorting."

Sirius seemed to have gotten over the blow to his ego and joined them, scoffing in condescension, "Head Boy duties? As if! More like he wanted to suck up to Evans and simultaneously scare off any other boys that get too close to her. Did you see the look that Matthews shot her way on the train, I thought Prongs was going to rip him apart."

Before the boys could recount their experience on the train, she thought it prudent that she pretend that she knew nothing about their lives. "Evans?" She began, "James has got a girlfriend? Anyone else got someone to tell me about?"

"Not yet sweeth…" Before Sirius could continue flirting, Peter interrupted, "Ha, he wishes! Prongs has been obsessed with Lily for years, but she doesn't really like him that much. That doesn't stop him trying though!"

"Yes the poor sod is in love and can't seem to give up, no matter how little response he gets in return. That is, the Marauders, we don't know when to quit." Sirius cut in, a teasing glint in his eye, directed at Hermione. 

"The Marauders? Is that what you four are, a kind of club? Is that where the nicknames come from?" She grinned innocent curiosity.

Remus cut in, "Not really, it's just we all share a dorm and are always lumped together whenever anything goes wrong so James and Sirius came up with a name for the group and all of us eventually."

Sirius leapt up in indignation, "Blasphemy! We are a brotherhood, my good friend! How dare you besmirch our good name!"

Hermione giggled as Remus quipped back, "Don't lie, I'm sure McGonagall would argue that nothing we do could use the word good to describe. In fact…" Hermione smiled as the three boys continued to squabble back and forth and instead decided to look out of the window at the steadily approaching castle.

If that conversation had been anything to go by she knew that this was going to be a long year. If lying was that exhausting, how could she survive a whole lifetime in this era, never telling anyone the truth?

* * *

At last, they reached the front door, so she separated from the boys to find McGonagall and the rest of the first years. She had to wait for a couple of minutes while they disembarked from the boats and then a couple more in the room to the side of the Great Hall. When she was 11 she assumed that the wait was so that the rest of the students could take their places, but she now knew they had already sat down, and instead the wait was to increase the tension. Dumbledore was a crafty bastard after all. 

They were eventually allowed into the Hall and she found herself the object of a thousand inquisitive stares. She decided not to meet any and instead glared resolutely ahead, looking directly into Dumbledore's smiling face. What a prat she must look towering over these midgets! He knew exactly what he was doing when he refused to let her be sorted separately.

Mercifully, McGonagall decided to call her up to be sorted before the first years, after quickly introducing her and her situation. Unfortunately, it was impossible to ignore the stares and whispers when her name was called because it seemed that a 7th year transfer student was big gossip, especially when connected to their famed headmaster. This time the hat was not so big that it covered her eyes so she was forced to look across the room at everyone watching her.

_ " _ Hmmm. Very curious indeed. You seem to have already sat here before, yet I do not remember you." Hermione fought to keep her face impassive as the hat continued. "Well that's beside the point, what matters now is where to place you."

Side tracked, Hermione's eyes wandered to the Gryffindor table where she found the four Marauders. Noticing her glance, they all waved quietly but enthusiastically, she couldn't help but smile in return. "Ah. A clue then. You care for people deeply, especially your friends?"  _ They're not my friends.  _ She impulsively thought in reply.  _ Not yet _ .

Somehow that hat started to chuckle, "Maybe not Hufflepuff then, you are loyal and true yet still very practical. Maybe a Ravenclaw?" Hermione pondered that for a second, remembering that that was the other house she was originally almost put into. She could be very happy there, maybe a change of scenery would do her good.

_ No _ . Shaking herself mentally, she banished that idea.  _ I'm here to do a job, I can't do that job up in Ravenclaw tower with no allies.  _ "Allies are a fickle thing," the hat eavesdropped, "In Gryffindor you would have plenty of friends, but would you have the means to carry out this task you seem so set on?"

Hermione considered this but was once more reminded of the crushing loneliness that she'd been experiencing lately.  _ You can't help anyone if you are hurting yourself.  _ She closed her eyes and decided.  _ Gryffindor.  _ For some reason this made the hat laugh again.

"I of course must take your decision into account, but your willingness to be sly and thoughts of self preservation are so Slytherin it's comical."  _ Come on!  _ She huffed, rolling her eyes when the hat seemed to pause for dramatic effect.  _ If you don't get on with it I'm going to set you on fire, this time around I know a lot more spells!  _

_ " _ No need to get grumpy," the hat moaned petulantly, "I can see that you would bravely set up your life again in any house so I guess I'll have to put you in…

GRYFFINDOR!"

The shout came so unexpected Hermione jumped a foot into the air and almost fell off the stool. Before McGonagall could take the hat off of her head and give it to the next person, she ripped it off and shoved it towards her. Thankful that she no longer had the patronising voice parroting into her ear she walked towards her familiar table and sat down next to the Marauders.

They immediately huddled to clap her on the back or give one armed hugs and she felt immensely glad to be back in a place she felt at home. This was slightly muddied by the fact her new so-called 'friends' were now imitating how she had almost fallen from her seat not 5 minutes ago. 

When the large group of first years had finally been sorted she turned to chastise them as she would with Harry and Ron but soon realised that they may not appreciate it seeing as they didn't know her as well. She let it drop on instead pretended to be amazed at the copious amounts of food that suddenly appeared in front of her.

"What took the hat so long with you then?" Remus inquired, and when he only got a confused frown in response he clarified. "It spent about 10 minutes shifting through your brain. Not that it wasn't entertaining at all, watching your facial expressions."

Oh. Maybe she would have to improve at that aspect of lying about your identity. She blushed nonetheless and garbled out some rubbish about how she was older and so there was more to sort through and analyse. " Not that the old flea bitten rag was very polite." She muttered at the end.

"Ha!" James laughed and draped his hand around her shoulder in a brotherly gesture, "Our Hermione here is exhibiting her brave tendencies already. Gonna fight an old hat for us love? I'm glad we've got you defending the honour of us Gryffindors."

Hermione surreptitiously flicked her fork and suddenly James had mashed potato all over his face. Whilst he was trying to paw root vegetables out of his eyes, Hermione couldn't help noticing a bunch of girls looking at her oddly, regarding the arm around her shoulders with contempt. They looked about her age and she didn't plan on sharing a dorm with a bunch of girls who didn't like her again, so she quickly removed his arm.

James didn't notice this however because he was too busy fighting off small pellets of mash that Sirius had charmed to hit him repeatedly in the face. Spectators continued laughing at his increasingly red face until he remembered that he was, in fact, a wizard.

When everyone had lost interest and James had finished wiping his face he turned to Hermione, joking "Thanks for that Mione, now I won't be able to get potato out of my ears for days!" He fortunately missed the way that her face fell at the weird use of her old nickname when he turned to Sirius to give a similar comment.

The rest of the feast passed rather quickly although she did not miss that the majority of the student body turned to her at one point or another, presumably talking to their friends about the new transfer student. It also didn't help that she had somehow managed to make friends incredibly quickly with a group of boys that she strongly suspected were the most popular and rowdy group in the school.

When dinner ended and they finally made their way up to bed Hermione trailed behind them to make it seem like she didn't know where she was going. As they walked, Peter talked to her about the portraits they passed and funny moments that had happened on certain staircases and in alcoves. Sirius and Remus seemed to be talking amongst themselves and James would eventually call out certain students to make it look like he deserved the badge that glinted on his chest.

Hermione sighed at the comfort of the room surrounding them as soon as they made it to the common room, smiling at the small aspects that had barely changed. Unfortunately, her back was turned when a screech quietened the room, causing her to jump out of her skin yet again.

"JAMES POTTER! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? WHEN YOU BECAME HEAD BOY I ASSUMED YOU HAD GROWN UP BUT HERE YOU ARE… um. Why is there potato in your hair?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 8: The Wicked Witch of the Past


	8. The Wicked Witch of the Past

What the hell? How can THE Lily Potter be the same girl that stood in front of her? The same girl she had already met, by some weird coincidence? The kind, loving woman described to Harry throughout his childhood was nowhere to be seen, neither was the friendly girl that Hermione had met in a Muggle clothes shop no more than a week ago.

Lily stood at the base of the girl's staircase with a dark look in her eye and dripping wet hair, directing all of her hatred at the man who would one day become her husband. Not too soon, Hermione surmised. The rest of the room had gone silent and many people stood back with gleeful smiles on their faces, no doubt knowing what was about to unfold. She didn't need to be worried, because Hermione had not been recognised yet.

"Evans, how wonderful it is to see you again!" Sirius started, standing slightly in front of a cowed James with his arms extended, in a placating gesture. "I don't think we had the pleasure of reuniting at the feast, but I must say you look radiant!" He finished this off with a cheeky wink, and Hermione did not envy his predicament at all.

As expected, this only incensed the girl more, causing her to stomp over and jab her finger into Sirius's shoulder with every word she bit out. "Your  _ friend  _ over there ever so kindly offered to help me out with the first years getting into the boats and then proceeded to push me into the lake!"

"It was an accident…" a meek voice behind them was drowned out while the rest of the room snickered. Lily continued, now looking at the boy in question, "Chivalrous, you claimed! What's not chivalrous was hearing from Marlene that the reason you were in such a rush was because you were desperate to parade around the castle with some french tramp instead of doing your Head Boy duties!" 

As all eyes turned to her and Hermione immediately felt tiny. However, she felt incredibly glad that Lily had shown that she did care for James, and the stories about Harry's parents hadn't been lies. Lily was jealous! Finally, the contemptuous looks that she had received at dinner were revealed to be nothing more than girls looking out for their friend who had a crush. She would have laughed if the redhead's fury hadn't been suddenly directed at her.

"Hello again!" She smiled slightly and waved, realising that Lily was too busy being angry to recognise her. "Don't blame James, he was just watching out for me because I'm new here as well." She walked past the Marauders in a surprising show of courage, and stuck out her hand towards the girl.

"Hermione Dumbledore." She introduced herself, raising her chin in defiance despite the winces she received around the room. Many people smiled again, thinking they were going to see the new girl put in her place, as had probably happened before. However, they were stumped when Lily did nothing and instead gasped in realisation.

"Hermione? Oh we met already! You didn't tell me that you were a witch?" Lily said, deflating as she attempted to give off a calming and welcoming air. She turned her head to the Marauders, noticing their stances, and continued with a much harder voice, "Well you sure do work fast! Not five minutes in the building and you already have Potter as a boyfriend and the rest of his motley crew drooling after you." 

Feeling the mood of the exchange heading south, she smiled and waved her hand in nonchalance. "Nah, I've only met them once before, James is just helping me out because my uncle asked him to make me feel at home." At this last part, she turned to the boys and gave them a look to make them play along, which they all did by mumbling their assent. 

After finding out that she would have no competition, Lily smiled and linked her arm with Hermione's, she dismissed James with a quelling look. "Thanks Potter, I'll show her the girls dorm, we don't want you interloping. Again." James sighed as they walked towards the stairs but stiffened when Lily threw a final remark over her shoulder.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about the whole lake debacle. I'll deal with you later!" 

* * *

The girl's dorm was pretty much exactly the same as when she had left it at the end of her sixth year. What was different from last time was the distinct lack of pink, giggling and the chemically scented perfume that Lavender and Pavarti seemed to dowse themselves in. Instead there were three other girls that were flying around the room unpacking their suitcases. 

"Did you give that girl her dues Lily? By the extra bed in here it looks like we'll be sharing a room with her," the girl in the far corner started out saying before she turned to look at who Lily had brought with her. Blushing slightly with embarrassment, she stared pointedly at the redhead as if saying  _ the question still stands.  _

"No Marlene, and before you ask, she's not in a relationship with any of the Marauders, so you don't have to worry Mary." She said, turning to the other girl who was anxiously sitting at the end of her bed twirling the ends of her hair with her fingers. That seemed to relax the room and they all turned to welcome Hermione. 

Mary McDonald was an average sized, plump, brunette girl with long hair and kind hazel eyes that spoke of an innocence that immediately endeared Hermione to her. Her bed was closest to the door and you couldn't help but notice the abundance of house plants and succulents that adorned the space around it.

Next up came Alice Fortescue who was tiny and willowy, with a short brown bob and the same green eyes that her son Neville would one day possess. For some reason, her bed was already littered with sweet wrappers, which pained Hermione considering that these were the same ones that Neville had collected in the future when his confused mother would give them to him.

Finally, came Marlene McKinnon, who looked like she had just jumped out of a magazine. Her luscious blond locks bounced around her face, highlighting her emerald eyes and the smile she wore, no longer defensive over her friend. She seemed to be quite obsessed with clothes and fashion considering the fit to bursting suitcase she was just beginning to unload into a similarly full closet.

Hermione was directed to a bed on the far side next to what she assumed was Lily's. This bed was pristine, with an empty suitcase already emptied and a bedside table crammed with a neatly organised book collection. On top of the bed itself was a slightly battered stuffed elephant toy and a patchwork quilt, that had obviously been knitted by hand.

"Why would Mary be worried that I'm dating one of the boys?" She started as she began unloading her suitcase, hoping to draw the attention off of her. Luckily, the girl blushed prettily, causing the rest of the dorm to giggle and titter amongst themselves.

"Well," Marlene started, stopping for dramatic effect, "Our Mary here may have a thing for one of the boys… a certain tall, bookish boy…" She teased with raised eyebrows while Hermione smiled, "I'm sure you can't guess who…"

"Well I met Remus in Flourish and Blotts buying out half the shop so I assume he is who you're referring to. The others don't give the impression that they look at books that much," She followed this by muttering, "Sirius seemed more content looking at my cleavage…"

This inspired a bark of laughter from the blond girl, "Wow, he's already made a pass at you. He's quick off the mark this year!" Unsurprised after hearing about Sirius's rakish ways in his youth she nonetheless inquired further.

"Are you all after the Gryffindor boys then? Please believe me that I have no intention of going near them like that." For some reason this inspired more laughter and hasty exclamations.

Alice immediately dismissed the question telling Hermione about her boyfriend in the year above (three guesses what his name is). On the other hand, Marlene chuckled saying that she had already had a thing with Sirius in the past and that she wouldn't be going back there anytime soon. Finally, Lily shouted rather too quickly that she had no feelings for any of the group and then went off on a tirade against Potter and his rule breaking.

Hoping to stir the pot and show a more flustered Lily, she joked, "Hmmm, I don't remember referring to James specifically, but you seem to be very keen to bring him up." She giggled as the girl opened and closed her mouth like a fish, "Anything you want to tell me about?"

The other girls all leapt forward and began to tell Hermione about James's previous attempts to woo Lily and her rejections, whilst Lily tried to butt in. She attempted to claim that she still felt nothing for the immature boy but all of the girl's knew otherwise. 

"What if he matured?" Hermione began, genuinely curious, "Downstairs you said that you hoped he had changed. Well… what if he did? Would you give him a chance then?" 

Lily scoffed, "That's not bloody likely. I know you've only just met him, but be prepared to be let down."

Hermione frowned and the thought occurred to her that maybe her entrance into this time could knock time off balance and her friend wouldn't be born. Another task to the list then; she sighed and grinned at Lily, forcing out a statement that was very out of character, "So, maybe I should have a go then, he is quite attractive you know, and I don't know enough yet to be really let down."

Lily narrowed her eyes, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing." Hermione smiled innocently, "I didn't get made Head Girl for nothing, I do actually have a brain!"

Hermione gathered her wash bag and made for the toilet, sharing a secret smile with the other girls while she left. Lily called after her, "Do what you like Hermione, he's available, and I certainly have no objections!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 9: Same Place, Different People


	9. Same Place, Different People

Hermione's first day of classes remained to be one of the most bizarre experiences of her life. This was saying something considering that she had broken into Gringotts and escaped on the back of a dragon! It was like she had walked into an alternate dimension where everything was the same, but they swapped the colours around. Nothing had changed, and yet everything had.

She woke up in a familiar room filled with strangers, proceeded to eat with said strangers and then go about her day like normal, but with completely different faces than usual. Thankfully the class contents were the same, or she might have lost the plot.

She kept to herself mostly, just smiling benignly when her friends noticed that she had chosen to do 9 NEWTs (even more than Lily and Remus). Then she patiently waited whilst these new people explained facets of her castle that she had known for years, dragging her around behind them.

Hermione spent the majority of her time intentionally pretending that she knew less than she did. During her time in the future, it appeared that the curriculum had quite a bit more content, which was probably due to the reforms made after the first war. She found that the majority of stuff she was learning was actually taught to her by Harry in her fifth year, with the assumption she worked silently as well. Furthermore she had had a year whilst camping and rigorous training from a skilled auror to sharpen her skills. If she were cockier, she would say that first year auror training would have also been attainable. 

Luckily, she had at least one Gryffindor friend to sit with in each class and managed to not get too bored. She fully woke up, however when she stepped into Potions and realised that all of her other friends had already paired up. With the war approaching it seemed that everyone realised the importance of the subject, and therefore everyone was there, and had naturally fallen into their old partnerships.

Hermione shook off the offer to swap with one of them and instead sank into an empty seat. Just as the class was about to begin, the other chair at the table became occupied by none other than her old Professor, and it wasn't Lupin. She noticed how the other Gryffindors stiffened and decided to intervene, but by that time Slughorn had begun to talk.

17 year old Severus Snape was actually very similar to the middle aged one from the future. His long black hair remained flat and greasy and when he turned his head to regard his new partner, his trademark sneer also reappeared. Although the regulation Hogwarts robes prohibited him somewhat, he still gave off the aura of a giant bat.

Distracted by side eying the boy who would one day murder Dumbledore, she completely missed the task they were set and was surprised to hear Snape talk to her. "You can get the ingredients while I set up the equipment." He droned in a very similar way to how he would teach. When she continued to stare vacantly, he started to walk away, shaking his head and sighing. 

"If you really are as useless as you look then just copy down the instructions while I get on with it. We're brewing the draught of living death again." 

Feeling affronted by his tone and rude comments she jumped to her feet to get the ingredients, well aware that this was a pivotal moment if she wanted to secure his trust in the future. Not that he deserved it, the insufferable bastard. 

She soon returned after dodging the concerned looks of the Marauders and heaped the equipment onto the desk. When he reached across her to begin the potion, she none too kindly smacked his hands away and set out preparing the ingredients. Clearly surprised by this action he continued to goad her, "If you wanted to bother reading the instructions they're on page 7." He paused, "Assuming you can read?"

She paused her dicing to look up and glare at him, he chuckled and snatched up a pestle and mortar. When they had finished preparing the ingredients, he lit the cauldron, added the Infusion of Wormwood and then tipped in Powdered Root of Asphodel. Whilst she began stirring it, she noticed Snape take out the Sopophorous bean and sought to annoy him further.

"Don't cut it, crush it, or we'll be here for hours," this seemed to get the desired effect.

"Ah she speaks! I was beginning to think you were deaf as well as dumb." She surreptitiously looked to his hands where he was about to do something equally stupid and smiled, as if saying _ I'm the dumb one am I?  _ He scowled, "I knew that by the way, I was only testing you."

She huffed and he sneered, " Actually, that's not very common knowledge, did you get your brains from Dumbledore or did you just learn to be an insufferable know it all from experience?" Wow. It's almost like being in his class again during first year.

"We're not related by blood." She bit out, " I was adopted after a death in the family."  _ All my family are gone thanks to you _ . A snide voice seethed in her head. 

This shut him up for a second as they continued working on the potion. "I'm sorry for your loss." He said almost so quietly that she missed it, causing her head to whip to the side, accidentally yanking the ladle out of the cauldron.

"Steady on, you almost took my eye out!" He grabbed it and took over mixing, "You may be decent at potions but that doesn't mean you can get complacent and start coating me in them instead." 

Hermione snorted out a chuckle and was surprised to see the corners of Snape's mouth twitch in response. What was happening? First an almost complement and then a smile, she must have inhaled too many potion fumes and was now hallucinating. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

They spent the rest of the lesson in a companionable silence while occasionally discussing aspects of the recipe and improvements they would make. Funnily enough, Hermione actually found herself enjoying the experience, feeling content, rather than on edge trying to contain her secret. If Harry and Ron could see her now! 

When the lesson ended, Snape left with a friendly incline of the head, leaving her to get accosted outside by the Marauders. "What was that?" Sirius began, as soon as Snape was out of earshot.

"What do you mean? I was just getting on with the potion, wasn't that what I was meant to be doing?" She feigned innocence to their feud.

"You were enjoying yourself with him!" Peter butt in, trying to get across to her that that was not normal.

Instead she frowned, "And? I enjoy potions, I've already told you that."

"But you were talking with him, and smiling." James told her as if accusing her of running over his cat.

"I don't understand. We both enjoy potions, we were talking about potions and making a potion together. I don't see what the problem is, I like him." Hermione was amazed at how easily that last part had fallen out of her mouth, realising it was true.

"Sorry Hermione but he's bad news," Remus interjected as a voice of reason, "He hangs out with some really cruel guys and often picks on people."

"Yeah, he's probably only hanging out with you to use you or to bring you down later." Sirius added.

"Well," she replied, annoyed that they didn't believe her to be capable of finding that out for herself, even if she knew it was true already. "I haven't seen or heard about that yet, and even if it is true, then it's up to me to find out. I'm a big girl, I promise. Either way, I like him at the moment and I'm paired with him in potions. Why make my life more unpleasant by ignoring him?" 

"On your head be it then" James replied, "You better get used to him seeing as we have Defence Against The Dark Arts now and we're in with the Slytherins again."

* * *

The Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher this year was a middle aged man called Professor Cribb, who was a pureblood wizard and ex auror. Although she was hesitant to meet the man, he appeared friendly and did not appear to have any affiliations with dark magic, unlike some of her previous teachers. 

She decided to sit at the front with Remus and quickly got out her parchment and quills whilst discussing this year's curriculum. The class soon settled down and the Professor began by announcing himself, making it very clear that he was only planning to stay a year, lest the curse kill him off or something. Hermione rolled her eyes because she had long believed the curse to be nonsense; a combination of coincidence and fear causing the increased number of teachers to disappear. 

To Hermione's dread, he had decided that their first lesson back would contain a series of duels to assess where they needed the most help. Determined to make the lesson fun, the man then suggested that they make it into a tournament after a few practice rounds. She originally turned to Remus to begin, but the professor then added in the clause of dueling their classmates from other houses instead. So much for inter house unity!

After they had moved the tables and chairs aside and cleared the room, they were paired off. The first couple of Slytherins she encountered were incredibly cocky and arrogant and it pained her greatly to give up a couple duels to make it seem like she was worse than them. But with the time it gave her, she was able to watch how everyone else was faring.

Thankfully, the Marauders were all pretty good, which didn't really surprise her considering their future career paths. Peter on the other hand wasn't very self-confident and kept making silly mistakes, causing him to throw the majority of his duels. Hermione felt an unpleasant twist in her stomach when she noticed how the boys that she knew would become Death Eaters managed to win the majority of their matches. No doubt that they had had practice. In her perusal she noticed the eyes of her new professor staring back at her as if saying  _ I know what you are doing. _

Suddenly the tournament was beginning and she was facing her first opponent. The girl in question had a sneer on her face and a cold look in her eye so Hermione had no problem swiftly dealing with her with a verbal stunning spell. After all, non verbal spells whilst duelling were very difficult to perfect and the first lesson exploring them was planned to happen next week. 

At this point, half the class had been eliminated and Hermione thought it best to give up this round because if she got into the third, fourth or final round, she would be noticed. Of the sixteen people that remained, there were more Gryffindors than Slytherins and so she was paired with Sirius. He smiled and gave her a salacious smile, "I'll go easy on you darling,"

She rolled her eyes and dreaded the teasing that would surely follow her gracious defeat. However, she suddenly noticed an odd pair across the room. Lily and Snape were standing across from each other, looking in different directions whilst waiting for the teacher to start the duels. In a small move, Snape turned to look at the girl again, and the look of such abject longing and pain on his face stumped Hermione. 

Harry had told her that they had been friends and had fallen out, but to see that look directed at just a fellow classmate was unlikely. If she didn't know any better, Hermione would say that he looked like he loved her. The agony in his eyes suggested that his feelings were not reciprocated. She suddenly remembered the reason why they had fallen out, and was even more confused as to why he still loved her. How could this man have joined the monster that he knew would one day seek out to destroy Lily and everyone like her? And then do the same to her son that she died to protect?

Side tracked as she was, Hermione didn't notice the whistle that marked the start of the duels, and therefore the stupefy that preceded out of Sirius's wand. Unable to stop the instinctive, knee jerk response that had been battered into her all summer, she swiftly put up a wordless shield spell and fired back a wordless Expelliarmus. By the time she had caught his wand and regarded the crumpled wizard before her, she had realised her error in securing that win - it had only taken her about three seconds.

Hermione looked around to see if anyone had noticed her and only saw her professor, who looked surprised but evidently pleased, considering the wide grin that had spread across his face. Hermione groaned at her mistake and went to Enervate Sirius, thankful that no one else had witnessed her blunder.

Upon realising the manner in which he had been taken down, Sirius looked up at Hermione's grimacing form. "How did you do that? We haven't even been taught to do that yet." After looking around to see the majority of the room was still duelling, he looked back at her with wide eyes, "Where the hell did you learn to do wordless spells like that, and to take me down so quickly?"

She fumbled for a credible response and garbled out a reply about Beauxbatons class curriculum being a bit more complex, but it was obvious that Sirius didn't believe her. "How did your family die?" He interrupted, uncaring of the way he addressed her. Hermione's face went stark white as she was hit by the surprise question. Thoughts of how to get out of this situation and the images of her friends and family lying dead clouded and mixed up her mind and she found herself speechless.

Although he was obviously still suspicious, Sirius let it drop and apologized for asking, stepping away from her and shaking his hair out of his eyes. By this point, the rest of the room had finished and the 8 left for the next round were Lily, Remus, James and her, along with 4 other Slytherins that she didn't recognize. It seemed that Snape could not face defeating Lily and was now standing brooding against one wall.

With a shudder, Hermione realised that the boy she was facing looked incredibly similar to the man who had given her the scar that took up almost the entire expanse of her chest. Dolohov grinned cruelly, and she resolved herself to throw this fight in such a way that he would not think her a threat. Or, her eyes widened in horror, become obsessed with her again.

During the short duel that followed, she threw up only defensive spells and her opponent managed to put her out of action in only a minute. His spells appeared harmless, but with the strength that he cast them with, she was left breathless and with a suspected bruised rib. The way that she didn't react to this and how he suspected she was not trying that hard seemed to incense him, which didn't really help with her intention to be inconspicuous.

She sat against one wall for the rest of the tournament and watched her classmates fight, and they were pretty poor to be honest. Remus had also been eliminated in her round along with the two other Slytherins. James and Lily swapped partners before beating them, which left them fighting each other in the finale. 

Lily rolled her eyes as James pretended to argue that he could not fight Lily, claiming that she was the winner by default. Hemione couldn’t help but assume that this had happened before, but Lily had had enough, "Fight me properly or I will never talk to you again, let alone date you," This slip of the tongue stopped his arguments pretty damn quickly.

"So you've considered it then?" He picked up on, Hermione smiled when she saw Lily's cheeks colour slightly pink, but she remained silent. "Will you if I win? Go to the next Hogsmeade weekend with me I mean?"

"So for beating me and possibly hurting me, your reward would be getting stuck on a date with me? You realise how ridiculous you sound right?" 

"Even if you were grumpy with me for beating you, or beating me with some crutches, it would still be time well spent, because I'd be with you," He whispered to her, although the rest of the class could still hear, causing people to either snort with derision or sigh at the romantic notion. Hermione belonged to the former group. 

"Crutches! Wow. You not only plan to defeat me and then prolong my torture by having to spend more time with you. But you also plan to maim the girl you like so fully that she ends up on crutches!"

"I was obviously joking…" came a small response before Professor Cribb called the class to order and began the duel. Unsurprisingly, James was still hung up on the previous conversation and Lily used this to her advantage when she defeated the tall boy. He looked quite bashful when he went to join his friends whilst Lily was grinning ear to ear, which softened the blow somewhat. 

Whilst the Gryffindors were caught up congratulating Lily or commiserating with James, they failed to notice the angry glares of the Slytherins, preoccupied by being bested by a girl, and worse still, a Mudblood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 10: A Lesson on Werewolves


	10. A Lesson on Werewolves

Hermione was so preoccupied with settling in and on not slipping up her cover story that she had no time to even look at her research for the horcruxes in the first few weeks. It took so much time and effort to analyse every conversation she had for inconsistencies that Hermione practically fell into bed each night.

This didn't last long because she would wake up every night with nightmares, always catering to the possibility that they would occur by silencing the curtains around her bed. Without Aberforth or his goat patronus watching over her, she felt much more alone and so they increased in frequency and strength.

Thanks to her reduced hours of sleep, she did manage to get out to run a lot, and fly when the sun hadn't risen yet. She may have fought in a war but Hermione was slightly embarrassed to say she was scared to be exposed on the ground when it was still dark. When it got light she was often joined by Marlene who also liked to run, and Hermione soon found out that she was part of the Quidditch team, alongside James and Sirius.

Her new friends were very welcoming and accommodating to her but she did not feel the same connection that she had felt with Harry and Ron. It was when her new friends would recall stories of their pasts that Hermione would feel a hollow space in her chest. She had shared experiences and traumas to connect her to her old friends, but these people would take a lot longer to grow close to. 

On a positive note, Hermione did notice herself laughing more than she had in the previous timeline. I guess the promise of impending death can bring down the mood, whereas, in this time, the war was still there, but not so present. This meant that the exchanges she had with other people were generally much lighter.

Furthermore, the Marauders were really funny. Hermione often found herself not even realising that she was laughing for the majority of the time, and thought herself blessed that she could see this troublesome foursome at their prime. The only dark note was the constant feeling that she shouldn't be experiencing this, Harry should. He should be alive instead of her.

Harry would also have loved to see his parents fall in love, although not much of that was happening at the moment. Hermione had stuck to her plan to make Lily slightly jealous by sitting near to James whenever possible and striking up a conversation when Lily was in sight. The response she got was getting less and less subtle, because Lily had recently resorted to just slamming what she was doing down and making very loud sighs and grumbles, whenever she was in both of their presence. 

In order for James to not get the wrong end of the stick, she sat them down in front of the fire one evening when she knew the girls were all upstairs. "I've decided to help you James," She began, and when their vacant stares and lack of response gleaned no further response she continued, "With Lily I mean."

"What do you mean, has she said something?" He immediately sprang to action while the others rolled their eyes. 

"Not really, it's more what she hasn't said," At their continued sceptical looks, she added, "Surely you have noticed me hanging around James a bit more than the rest of you lot?" 

At this, James nervously scratched the back of his head "Um yeah, and I'm flattered honestly, but the thing is…"

"Oh for goodness sake," this was like pulling teeth, she would have to spell it out for him, "I don't have a thing for you, I was just trying to make Lily jealous, and it is working!" 

"Oh that's good, Sirius was getting rather jealous himself, being oh so devilishly handsome and you choosing me, but….." his head snapped up as he took in her last statement. "Wait, it's working? You can't be serious!"

She nodded and he jumped up as if to run to the girls stairs "I need to ask her out then, no time to waste!" Sensing as she had that that would be a bad idea, the other boys shouted and dragged him back down.

"Hold your horses, you can't just go in all guns blazing!" At their even more confused looks she decided to rephrase that very muggle statement. "What I meant, is that you need to change your tactics. From what I gather you have been asking her out every week for the past 4 years and it clearly hasn't been working."

"Well what do you propose instead?" Queried Sirius, very interested in making his friend happy, but still affronted that this new girl could parade in and immediately think she could order them around.

"Ignore her."

"What? That's preposterous!" They all laughed at her.

"No I'm not joking," she cut in, "Treat her like you would a friend during your time together, even talk about other girls whilst she's around. Just don't follow her around like a lost puppy like you've been doing, publicly embarrassing her. It's not attractive, I promise you." 

He spluttered but she continued, "I give it a week or two before Lily gets so frustrated that she either demands to know what's going on, or she just shoves you into a wall during rounds and snogs the living daylights out of you."

And so mission Jealous Lily began. It was quite hilarious seeing Lily looking around for James at every corner and then seeing her face fall and look equally confused and bereft when he wasn't there. If Hermione didn't know that it was for a good cause, then she would feel sorry for the girl. James would usually do things like commenting on how beautiful she looked at any opportunity, wait outside classrooms so she could walk with him, and pull out any chairs or hold open any doors when they got in the way. With him no longer doing that, Lily noticed how much she had grown to enjoy his company and was instead left with a dark feeling inside for whatever could be the reason he changed.

As time progressed and she noticed that this wasn't just a day or two off, she began seeking James out in order to make sure that Hermione wouldn't get to be alone with him. At times like these, Hermione quickly made herself scarce with a small smile at them both. This was pretty obviously a retreat, so Lily began to smile more once realising the smaller girl's mischievous movements in order to get the two of them together. They weren't quite there yet, but the two head students had begun a much more equal friendship, which often found them laughing together at various points around the castle.

The other Marauders were certainly thankful for their friend's improved mood considering how often they were helping her out, complimenting her, and saying thanks. Over time, Hermione was confronted with another harsh truth of this timeline that she had forgotten about; the full moon was fast approaching and you could notice.

In the week before his change, Hermione watched as Remus ran himself ragged around the castle, acting like a livewire, about to catch alight. Already used to the changing states of the transformation, Hermione knew that he would be brimming with energy before the change, with heightened emotions, senses, and a much shorter fuse. After the change this would flip on its head, and Remus would be left a walking corpse, dragging himself about, in pain, as his body sought to heal itself and refill his depleted magic reserves. 

This was why she felt slightly apprehensive when she walked into Defence Against The Dark Arts two days before the full moon and saw that there was a lesson on werewolves on the board. Predictably, the Marauders all tensed as well and she overheard a whispered exchange offering for one of them to swap places with Hermione to sit with him. He shook his head and sat down. 

At first, the lesson started with an explanation of why they were reviewing old content and then Professor Cribbs began to explain the savage and animalistic nature of werewolves. What was unexpected was the way that neither her teacher or the textbook distinguished between the actions of a werewolf when under the influence of the full moon, and with the rest of the month. Of course they described the terrifying and painful transformation, but it was described as if these experiences ate away at the human consciousness, and all that was left behind was a beast like human for the rest of the month.

Hermione knew that the textbooks during her time weren't that much better, but it seemed that the development of the Wolfsbane Potion in the years to come had really made a big impact on the general public feelings on the matter. She looked to her right at the tense and angry look on Remus's face and she knew that she had to do something.

She raised her hand when they got to a particularly lovely passage about how they preferred to attack young children. "Yes Hermione, do you not understand?" Professor Cribbs asked benignly. As all of the eyes in the room turned to her she suddenly realised that this probably wasn't the best idea if she wanted to keep a low profile.

"Well, yes I understand. It's just that you're wrong, and the textbook is too." A couple titters met her response, no doubt wondering how the new girl would cock this up as it was obviously true to them. Hermione also noticed how the breathing of her deskmate hitched, sure that she would condemn him further.

The professor smiled, "Care to enlighten us of my mistake?"

"It's just…" she began, staring around hesitantly before getting to the point, training her eyes on the teacher before she began one of her legendary rants. "Nearly everything you have said is a lie. Werewolves are not savage all the time, they are just like they were before, but with the odd mood swing or fluctuation in their activity levels. I'm sure many people could joke they're just like menstrual cycles, and they wouldn't be wrong; just much more painful and a bit messier!"

At this comment a couple people sniggered and Remus went red, but she wasn't looking at him, "There is absolutely no evidence that their time during the full moon affects their mental state, and no evidence that it could prohibit them from holding down a job. They can get married, have families, and live their lives just like you or me." 

She breathed in, frowning as she tried to keep her temper, "By basing the study of an entire species on the select actions of one person, say Fenrir Greyback for example," Due to the quick gasps that she heard, Hermione could only assume that the man was as well known in this time as with her own. "We would be debasing a whole community of people who have done nothing wrong!" 

At this impassioned ending, she noticed that the sniggers had died down and the whole room had gone quiet. Professor Cribbs had a strange glint in his eye and an unreadable face as he asked, "And what evidence do you have to back this claim of yours?"

"I'm friends with a werewolf." She said proudly and with no fear, regardless of the gasps that broke out. Poor Remus if this was the treatment that he had to face everyday. "And with his wife," Considering the continued exclamations of surprise, Hermione could only assume that this was practically unheard of. She took great pleasure finishing her statement, " _ And son _ ." At this final comment she noticed a slight movement from Remus, almost like he had just caught himself from falling out of his chair.

"That's impossible," The professor waved his hand as if trying to dismiss her and get on with the lesson. "No werewolf children have ever been born." 

"That's right," Hermione continued with a smile on her face, "A werewolf baby wasn't born, a healthy human baby was instead." The tension in the room was palpable, "Maybe that's another thing you got wrong, seeing as this disease has long been considered infectious through a bite alone, rather than hereditary."

The silence that greeted her speech was soon interrupted by the chime that signalled the end of the lesson and Cribbs asked them to pack away their sketchbooks. She snuck a quick glance at Remus but frowned to see him staring furiously at the ground as he left. The professor asked her to stay behind.

"As much as I admire your opinions and beliefs, please could you refrain from interrupting the class," he began in a tired tone, as if he couldn't be bothered to have the conversation. When he saw her open her mouth to cut in, he continued, "I know you truly believe what you are saying, and you may have proof of your own, but I am just following the Ministry mandated texts that I have been given. If you truly want to change that, you might have to go a bit higher up."

Unsurprised by the close eye that the Ministry still seemed to keep at the comings and goings of the school, Hermione was reminded of her fifth year. Her teacher coughed and changed the subject, "Actually, that was something that I wanted to talk to you about. Have you made any decisions about your plans regarding next year yet?"

At her frown he continued, "When I first saw you duel, I knew you were holding back, so I thought about mentioning the auror programme to you after you leave." He smiled as she gaped, she'd only been here for two weeks and she was already getting advice about where she'd do best after school?

He continued, "However, I can now clearly see that you have other things in mind, and if your speech was anything to go by, I think the ministry would be lucky to have you." She gulped, and fought to get past the lump that had formed in her throat. 

Cribbs noticed, and added, "I am willing to help you with your reference and Defence marks, but if you want to get into the Magical Creatures department, I suggest that you talk to the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and possibly Hagrid, our Grounds Keeper. If I remember correctly, he has much better connections to those that didn't make it into the limited spec." He raised his eyebrows in a way that reminded Hermione of her experiences with Norbert, Fluffy and Hagrid's brother Grawp.

Hermione nodded in thanks and made her way out of the classroom in a daze, in her frantic attempts to make herself comfortable in this world she had forgotten that no one had heard about her and her many exploits. In her old timeline, she had assumed that if she lived past the war then she would have no problem getting a job considering her long time track record of working so hard. However, now no one associated the name Hermione with taking down dark wizards or with good school marks.

Resigning herself to working hard to get the job she needed, she felt touched at her new teacher's insistence that he help her. She came back to herself as she looked around her, surprised to see that she wasn't alone in the corridor. Remus Lupin was leant against the opposite wall looking deep in thought, his leg giggling with a mixture of nerves and energy for the newly approaching full moon. When he noticed her he pushed away from the wall and smiled.

Relieved, she grinned in return, "You didn't have to wait for me!" He shook his head at this and they began to walk down to lunch together in silence. It wasn't really awkward per say, comfortable with an underlying tinge of tension would be how she described it. Just before they made it to the Great Hall his arm brushed against hers and squeezed her wrist. If she didn't know what it was for she would probably have barely noticed it, but she saw it as a friendly acknowledgement of thanks.

By the time they made it to the Gryffindor table, everyone else had sat down, the girls and boys sitting together as they sometimes did. Hermione smiled at the boys as she sat down in between Remus and Lily, who were all looking at her a bit weirdly. "Is it true?" Marlene began, "You are friends with werewolves?"

She chuckled, "Just the singular one actually, he was a family friend back in France." Nervous to see how the other girls would respond, she and the other boys waited while they thought over what to say next.

"Is he safe to be around though?" Alice bravely began, "They've been teaching the same content for decades, surely they can't be that wrong?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Wizards have been arrogantly believing that we are the superior species for centuries, unable to stop and understand other groups that don't fit in with us." She breathed in deeply before continuing, "It's werewolves this time, but what about goblins, elves and even Muggles. Lily, you've seen what they teach here about Muggles, right?" The girl nodded, "Isn't the majority of it complete bollocks?" She nodded again.

Hermione noticed the slight look she passed Remus's way and correctly assumed that the clever redhead had already worked out her friend's secret, and so moved onto everyone else. "It's the same story no matter what country you are from,"  _ or time apparently. _

Sirius butted in, knowing how important the topic was to his quiet friend, "What you said about having children, is that true? They're healthy and human?"

"Yes," she affirmed, "They only have some more wolfy tendencies like liking their meat more rare, having mood swings, and heightened senses. It's the same for anyone who is bitten by a werewolf when it's not full moon and for their partners."

"Their partners?" Mary asked quietly, whilst Hermione took in the way that Remus's concentration focused on her. Maybe that crush wasn't so one sided...

Hermione blushed, "Um, when they get a bit….frisky, shall we say," Remus blushed bright red, not liking where this conversation was going. The rest of the Marauders noticed this, and sly smiles sprang up.

She continued, "They tend to get quite possessive and forceful over their partners. They would never harm them of course, but I've heard they like to bite. It demonstrates their claim over their chosen partner." 

All of the girls also blushed, "Did you find this out from your friend's girlfriend?" Marlene continued. Hermione reddened as she remembered Harry's 17th birthday, when Ginny had got curious and asked Tonks. She hadn't been able to look Professor Lupin in the eye all afternoon. 

Remus went to take a sip of pumpkin juice and the boys' smiles turned gleeful at the plight of their friend. "Yes, she joked that sex was never dull and certainly rough and inventive," Hermione chuckled under her breath when she noticed that Remus seemed to choke on his juice and some came out of his nose.

Knowing that the chance was too good to miss, she continued talking to the girls, feigning ignorance to Remus, who was still sputtering away while Peter patted him on the back. "She also mentioned that he was practically insatiable close to the full moon, taking her on any available surface. Apparently it was the best sex she had ever had!"

At this point the Marauders had all broken into laughter at the plight of their very red and embarrassed friend. Lily was speechless, trying incredibly hard to not look at the boy that Hermione had secretly been teasing. The other girls were looking on in shock at Hermione, surprised at her candor and also confused over the behaviour of the boys.

"Well sign me up for some of that then!" Mary said quietly, before clapping her hands over her mouth in shock. This quietened the boys and simultaneously made all of the girl's break into peals of laughter.

"Don't worry Mary, I quite like the sound of some kinky, werewolf sex as well after that description!" Marlene stated candidly, after seeing the embarrassed face of her shy friend. "I'm not so sure I could deal with the possessiveness though,"

"Same," Agreed Lily and Alice, "If anyone wants to get into a relationship with me, they need to know that I do what I want, when I want, and with whomever I desire. Doesn't mean I'm going to cheat on you though, I just don't like someone else dictating what I do." Lily continued with this statement loudly so that the intended recipient could get the message.

Mary contributed quietly, "I'm not sure, possessive doesn't necessarily mean controlling, just that they're protective and get jealous easily. I'd love to be adored and seen like the centre of someone's universe." The other girls hummed in assent.

"My Frank does get jealous occasionally, which I find cute mostly," Alice cut in, "But he trusts me and I trust him, for example, the last time I saw him…" Suddenly the girls were all sucked into a conversation talking about Alice's long time boyfriend and it was like the previous conversation had barely happened.

Hermione turned back to the Marauders and took in their happy and teasing faces as they chatted amongst themselves quietly. She could only imagine what they were saying considering the continued blush that took up Lupin's face as well as the smug smiles that Sirius and James possessed. Hermione couldn't help but break out into a smile of her own when the sandy haired boy glanced over to the girls, or one girl in particular, with a questioning but hopeful look on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 11: You Give Some, You Get Some


	11. You Give Some, You Get Some

The howls of her friend in pain had long since passed and Hermione could just make out the forms of three figures playing in the grass. She was sitting watching out of the window in her dorm when she hadn't been able to sleep, and at this point she had resolutely decided that she had to help. 

When she initially worked out that her professor was a werewolf, Hermione had researched the topic thoroughly. She had discovered what the different patterns on a werewolf's fur could represent about the man inside, and debunked the different theories about how a werewolf could be made (clue: there only is one). She even read up on a bizarre theory that claimed that if you shouted the name of the man on a full moon, the beast's defences would drop for a second, it would freeze, and you could cast a stunner to get away. Nonetheless, all of the books had eventually led to the same place.

She fished out the valuable piece of paper that she always kept in her beaded bag and read the title. Wolfsbane potion wouldn't be invented for at least another 5 years so she couldn't just take the credit. She also could definitely not just hand it to Remus because not even the brightest witch of her age would be able to discover that he was a werewolf after just two weeks. Instead, she would have to go to Dumbledore for help, something she was really not looking forward to. 

She knew that Dumbledore would want something in return so opened up her 'Death Book' to see what the first things to happen would be. It was very confusing considering that the entries weren't written chronologically, but by order of importance to the people writing about them. Instead she cracked open her new leather bound notepad that she had gotten from Aberforth for her birthday. It was simply elegant, with a uniformed, tessellating design on the front, and the initials H.D. on the back.

Her birthday wasn't until next Thursday on the 19th, but he decided to give her her gift in-person, on the weekend before so that she wouldn't think that he had forgotten about her. Hermione was surprised, resigned to the fact that her birthday would not happen this year, and accepted her only gift gladly. The large sketchbook was covered in a layer of strong leather, which Aberforth explained could only be opened by her, unless she spoke someone else's name into the clasp on the front, or died.

She was tearful at the unexpected gift, but he had explained, "You clearly have a lot going on in that big brain of yours, maybe it'll help clear it to write it down where no one can see it but you?" Hermione didn't know if it was intended to help her unload the information in her brain, or her upset thoughts regarding her friends from her past life. Either way, it was a very thoughtful gift that she cherished. 

He had also gotten her one of those paired notebooks so that they could swap ideas for the Daily Prophet's crossword clues, which they both received each morning. This one had no security measures but Aberforth threatened to add some after Sirius had gotten into it one afternoon and had sent some quite suggestive and rude messages after he had wrongly assumed that she had a boyfriend that she wasn't telling them about.

Hermione decided to leave the first page of the larger, more secure sketchbook blank, as she always did (she was still a bookworm at heart and hated to see the first page of a new book sullied with her chicken scrawl, riddled with mistakes). After that she began to leaf through the 'Death Book' noting down anything that would happen next, ordering everything chronologically. 

When she had finished all that she could up to Christmas, which honestly wasn't much yet, she copied the page onto a spare piece of parchment, setting the book aside to find her copy of the Marauders Map so that she could traverse the school without running into anyone.

After that, she went to find the headmaster, knowing that she would also need help finding a lot of the ingredients. As predicted, he was still awake and smiled benignly up at her when she entered. He always made sure that he gave her the password to his office every time it changed, in the hope that she would one day take up his plea to tell him everything about the future. He hadn't yet got desperate enough to delve into her mind using Legilimency.

"Good evening Albus," she began as he raised his eyebrows at the informal name, "Or would you prefer Uncle Albus?" He chuckled at her forthrightness and decided on the former. 

"Now what do I owe this pleasure? I assume you have not come tonight for a cup of tea and a catch up with your dear old uncle?"

"No. Actually I am here to ask for your help concerning a more canine friend of ours, I'm sure you're grasping my meaning?"

If anything, his eyebrows raised further, "I'm not sure I do exactly. How could I help Mr Remus at the current time, and how does that concern you?" She rolled her eyes at the implicit  _ And how can you help me? _ attached on the end. 

"In 5 years time a potion will be invented that will allow werewolves to retain their minds during the transformation. I have the instructions to make this potion and need your help with getting some of the ingredients. Furthermore, Remus cannot know that it was I who gave him this potion so if you could hand him his dose each month from a mystery supplier, I would be greatly appreciative."

Dumbledore stared at her for a couple of moments while he took in this information dump before Hermione continued, "In exchange, I have the first list of things that were predicted to happen in the time leading up to Christmas." At this, he launched back to life, glittering eyes greedily seeking out the parchment that she handed over.

"Is this it?" He asked in surprise while she groaned.

"What? Are there not enough murders and attacks for your liking? I'm not the font of all knowledge you know, sometimes things will slip through that I didn't know about, or there'll be new events, so don't go blaming me!" Realising that she had revealed some of her biggest fears, Hermione snapped her mouth closed.

"Will you get me my ingredients?" She forced out between gritted teeth. He waved her off in acceptance while he continued to read the list she had given him. Hermione then copied a list of her ingredients into another piece of parchment and handed that over, "It takes a couple of weeks to brew the potion once you've got the ingredients so please get them as quickly as possible, I don't want him to suffer too many more full moons." 

He still wasn't looking at her so she slowly started backing out of the room, "Don't worry about giving me a space to brew it where I won't be interrupted, I've already got a place in mind." She smiled at his nodding form, thinking of a certain Room of Requirement that had her name on.

* * *

The first lesson the next day was Defence Against The Dark Arts and Hermione was yawning right alongside James, Sirius and Peter. Remus was still recovering and so was pretending that he had a headache. As she walked into the room she couldn't help but meet Lily's eye, who looked questioningly between her and the boys, but Hermione didn't react.

When she sat down she found that she was alone once more until Professor Cribbs asked her to pair up with someone else to begin the practical part of the lesson. Realising that they were studying the patronus charm, she grimaced when she saw that the only other person without a partner was Snape. This was going to be unpleasant.

In Hermione's third year, when she and Harry had discovered the truth behind the Marauders' past, they had also found out the forms of his parents' patronuses. It was for this reason that she knew that Snape would not be happy when he discovered that the woman he was in love with was another man's soulmate. 

She intentionally led him into a dark corner and began to talk through the theory so as to distract her from the room around her. They each 'attempted' it, Hermione trying hard to not think of any happy memories so that it would not be strong. Snape scowled when his repeated attempts didn't even produce a wisp of blue smoke.

Her concentration slipped when she glanced across the room at James and Lily, who had decided to get over their differences for the lesson, and were now laughing together at their failed attempts. They looked so much like Harry and Ginny in that second that she was reminded of the happy time they had all spent together at the end of sixth year. With some of the happiest weeks of Hermione's life at the forefront of her mind, she was unsurprised when her otter flew out of the end of her wand tip.

It glowed brightly as it twisted over everyone's heads, causing a few gasps and pockets of laughter when it brushed up against the faces of some of her friends. "Congratulations Miss Dumbledore! That was very quick, and a corporeal patronus as well; I think you have done this before…"

She blushed and looked at the floor, mumbling about learning it in the previous year at Beauxbatons, but everyone was soon distracted when a large black dog suddenly began to run between her classmates legs. Sirius' uproarious laughter was joined by that of Alice, when the dog jumped up and ran away from a proud cat that she had conjured. 

After that, Hermione was soon forgotten when a couple more students across the room managed to conjure their own animals. James looked smug when his stag appeared to be the biggest and the most impressive of all of the gathered creatures. Hermione turned to Snape, expecting to see a contemptuous expression, but was surprised to already see a look of pure horror. As she turned back to the room she immediately knew why. 

If James's stag could be described as impressive, Lily's doe looked magnificent. It was the epitome of elegance and refinement as it gracefully pranced around the room in a regal glory. Hermione noticed both students who had produced the matching pair blush a deep red at exactly the same moment when they realised the significance of the scene. To make it worse, the stag had decided to take that moment to sniff at the doe, butting heads in a friendly way before the doe nuzzled into its side. 

As the bell rang and everyone's animals disappeared with the break in their concentration, Hermione barely noticed the movement behind her as Snape rushed for the door. She made up for it by grabbing her bag and swiftly following him, almost missing him when he turned into a secret passageway behind a tapestry. 

When she made her way into the passageway, Snape's hunched figure was standing leaning heavily against one wall, face against the stone, breathing heavily. Against her better judgement, she felt something akin to empathy for the boy. Hesitantly she raised her hand and placed it on one of his broad shoulders.

Instantly, she found herself pinned up against the other wall with Snape's arm pushed up against her throat. It took a second for him to realise who he had attacked, within which time, Hermione had begun to chastise herself for her poor lack of judgement. Moody would have been disappointed. He let her down and shot her a withering stare, before turning away to rub at his suspiciously red eyes.

"Come to mock, have you?" He sneered, "I knew it would only be a matter of time before those prissy Gryffindors had corrupted you."

"No, I've come to see if you're alright." By the look of his reaction, she assumed that he hadn't heard that for a while.

"I don't need your pity or your help, I will have that spell sorted in no time."

"I don't doubt it, but we both know that that is not what I'm referring to." 

His head whipped up and his eyes narrowed, "I don't know what you are trying to insinuate, but we are not friends, therefore it is none of your business." 

"Well fine then!" She snapped, annoyed by his stubborn attitude, "From what I've heard, you seem perfectly content to lose friends left, right and centre. But I've been called derogatory names for my entire life, so I've grown a thick skin. You'll just have to try harder to get rid of the last person who seems to give a damn about you!" 

Already angry at her implicit mention of how he had lost Lily as a friend, he retaliated, "Who the hell do you think you are? What makes you believe that I want to be burdened with you? We have a couple of decent conversations and you're suddenly all buddy buddy? Please! Just tell me exactly what you want so I don't have to deal with you again." 

"I've already told you." She gritted out, realising how loud they had gotten, "I wanted to make sure you were alright, I saw your face and I know how it feels to have someone you care about not care about you either. What kind of friends do you have where this is such a foreign concept?"

Hermione looked around her and waved her arms dramatically, "I don't see anyone else coming to help or comfort you, so either your so-called friends are that shite or I really am all you've got! Curb your self-importance and accept help when it's offered. I'm not that much of a dick that I'm gonna let someone wallow alone in misery."

Snape snorted as she finished her tirade, "That wouldn't have stopped your precious Gryffindor buddies from ripping me to shreds."

"Are they here right now?" Hermione gestured, exasperated, "It's not great to be judged solely for the company you keep is it?" she continued, staring pointedly at his left forearm.

To her great surprise, Snape smiled raising his sleeve to show a still unblemished forearm, "Well well, you do work fast, sorry to disappoint."

He turned around to stare at the wall for a second, taking a second to calm his breathing before deliberating whether or not to continue, "How exactly did you learn to create your first patronus?" 

Acknowledging his attempt to peacefully change the subject, Hermione told him about her friend and her favourite professor, mixing up a lot of the details. "I could teach you if you would like?" She finished, offering up an olive branch.

"I said that - "

"I know, I know; you're perfectly capable of doing it yourself. But would it hurt to have me help you? You could always help me with potions or Arithmancy as well if it pains you to get something without giving something in return." She butt in, smirking, knowing how Slytherins worked.

"As if you would need help, don't lie to me." He snorted, picking up his bag and beginning to walk off, looking much better than he had 5 minutes ago thanks to Hermione's distraction.

"I'll be in the library at 5pm tomorrow if you change your mind!" She shouted after him as he shook his head in acquiescence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 12: Is Wormtail Wicked or Just Worried?


	12. Is Wormtail Wicked or Just Worried?

The sun shone brightly down that afternoon as Hermione and Peter walked down with the rest of the girls to watch Sirius, James and Marlene try out again for the Quidditch team. Remus was still lying about a headache which left just the five of them. Hermione and Peter were walking slightly behind and she couldn't help but comment on his stifled yawn.

"Were you up late last night planning some dastardly prank? I haven't witnessed one yet, and thanks to the tales I've been hearing, I'm feeling a little bit disappointed." At this, Peter seemed to perk up, but Hermione interjected again. "Was that what you were doing on the night we met? I can't see any reason why you'd be in the Great Hall alone in the middle of the night." 

Surprised that she would bring up that night seeing as it had become an unspoken rule amongst them not to mention it, he was initially stumped. After a small pause he replied, appreciating the opening that she had granted him, "Yeah, that one went down well, but we were all a bit too preoccupied thinking about you."

She stopped walking as she took in the nervous boy, although he was shorter than the other boys, he and Hermione were the same height, so she could look him straight in the eye. "I never said thank you for going to find help," As he began to interrupt, she continued, "I know I said thanks to everyone, but I wanted to personally say thanks to you. I was in a rough shape and I may not have survived if not for your quick thinking. So thank you."

He blushed a bit darker and made some excuse, continuing a slow stroll, "All I did was run and get help, James and Sirius are always the ones to do the right thing." As he said this Hermione noticed a slight frown crease his brow.

"What are you talking about? I heard that you ran up seven flights of stairs in record timing to get Dumbledore, and then ran back down them to make sure I was okay. I would have tripped flat on my face and ended up more banged up than the person I was trying to help." 

"That's me," he grumbled under his breath "Always running away, tripping up and making a fool of myself. Potter gets the Quidditch skills, and his perfect pureblood family. Black gets the girls and comes up with all the good ideas for pranks. Remus is bloody perfect, with his brilliant test scores and brooding looks that makes Mary drool all over him."

"Stop that!" She cut him off before he could continue on his self-deprecating rant, stopping walking and gripping his arm, "Don't you dare do that to yourself. I've not known you long but I see how you bring them all together and help them out. Like last week when Sirius lost his homework and blamed James; you immediately calmed them down and sorted out the situation, and gave him your homework as well." 

"Well, it was obviously the only way they would stop arguing…" he mumbled out.

"Peter, did you get your homework back or did they help you write it again?" She fought back, already knowing the answer.

"No, but they were distracted because Liz Brocklehurst tipped her pumpkin juice over Sirius because he was flirting with…"

She ignored him and continued, "The way they treat you is abhorrent, either making fun of you or ignoring you completely! But they would stop in a heartbeat if you told them about it."

He tittered and continued defending his friends, "It's just mates teasing and mucking around Hermione, it's what guys do."

She scrunched up her face in frustration, "My best friends in France were both boys so I know what boys do. What they shouldn't do to a friend is pick on him specifically just because he's too afraid he will lose them if he speaks out."

When he didn't reply, she opened her eyes to look into his widened ones, knowing that her words rang true, "You let them treat you like you are nothing, because you believe you are, but you aren't."

"Okay," she acquiesced, "They all do great things, but what you do is so important because it can't be seen. You are their rock and if you weren't there they would probably fall apart."

Noticing that he still hadn't replied, she looked straight into his startled face, finishing yet another rant, "Never diminish your own importance, and don't let them make you think that way!"

She breathed out in a gasp as she realised the full extent of what she had said. Hermione hadn't meant to say that much but she had been growing tired of the way that his so-called friends had been treating him over the past couple of weeks. There weren't any outright cruel moments, but there were a few small exchanges that made Hermione realise how this man could grow to one day resent and betray his friends.

Hoping that she wouldn't get a lashing in return, Hermione was surprised when his watery eyes filled with tears and he launched himself at her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you." He whispered into her hair as he started to sob, "No one has ever stood up for me like that before." Hermione had only known the boy for a couple of weeks so this level of exuberant familiarity shocked her, leaving her to just pat his back awkwardly.

He stepped back from her when he noticed her stiffened form, "I'm sorry, I get emotional a lot and they pick on me for it. My mum says that I shouldn’t be ashamed because it shows that I care deeply enough about something that it can no longer be expressed with words." 

He sniffled and she smiled, "Smart lady." 

"Thanks, it's just me and her at home, so I sometimes think that not having a father figure messed up my development process," he admitted, as if he had been told it multiple times. 

"That is the biggest pile of horse shite that I have ever heard. You are one of the best people I have met so far, so if you have stunted development I'd like to hear the others' excuses!"

At this, he began to laugh. She frowned again, "Are you jealous of your friends, is that the problem?" When he didn't reply, she continued hesitantly, "I heard that you mentioned Mary, are you jealous that she likes Remus?"

By this point they had started walking again, but Peter chuckled, "Nah she's not really my type, but that's good to know, Remus has been panting after her for months." She chose to ignore the pun and let Peter continue.

"It's just," he groaned in frustration, "They all find everything so easy! They don't have to try that hard with school, being popular, or even with relationships. It's just bloody frustrating being compared to that the whole time!" He sighed and lowered his voice, "But I still love them and wouldn't know what I'd do without them, so what are they still doing with me? Surely they could find a better replacement?" 

"I told you to stop that," she began again, "You just need to set yourself apart from them, what do you like that they don't?"

"I dunno," he began, "I like talking to Madame Pomfrey I guess," at Hermione's shrewd face he clarified, "Not in the flirty way that Sirius or James do, but when she's talking about healing Remus. I guess it's just interesting to see how the body works." Once again, Hermione ignored Peter's slip of the tongue in regards to Remus; if he were going to be loyal to the Order this time around then they would need to sort out that loose mouth of his.

"That's it!" Hermione started, "Why don't you look into that then?" At his hesitant look she continued, "Or not. No one will judge you if you look into multiple areas, and change your mind, just be confident." He smiled at her pep talk before looking nervous again, an odd look taking over his eye, as if he had just made a big decision. Peter looked around and when he saw no one was watching them, he dragged her over to walk closer to the Forbidden Forest.

Although Hermione originally thought that her chat might have gone in the wrong direction and he was dragging her away to kill her, he shook his head to calm her nerves. "Um…" he began, and began to breathe faster, "I know we don't really know each other that well but I need to tell someone…" He broke off and looked straight at the floor, muttering, "I've never told anyone before."

Suddenly Hermione's stomach dropped as she pondered that maybe Peter had already gotten the mark and she had got her timing wrong, but there was a glimmer in his eye that said something different. "You know when I said that Mary was not my type, well you're not either," 

She smiled kindly back, "Thanks, the feeling's mutual."

He grimaced out a smile, "What I mean is that no one in the Gryffindor girls dorm is really my type." He continued, that glint in his eye begging Hermione to understand what he was telling her. Out of nowhere, it clicked, and she didn't need the final statement to get what he was saying, "No one in the girls dorm in any house is my type."

When Hermione realised the enormity of what Peter was saying, something must have shown in her face because Peter began to cringe away. What he didn't expect was to be practically rugby tackled into a hug, swallowing mouthfuls of hair in the process. But the time he emerged, he was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"You're gay?" She asked, making sure that she hadn't got the wrong end of the stick, when he nodded, her eyes somehow became wetter, "Thank you so much for telling me!" In a strange turn of events they were both crying together, falling into one another's arms, one thankful of being accepted, and the other thankful of being trusted. Thoughts of uncomfortable intimacy were forgotten while they hugged. 

"Why haven't you told your friends?" She cut in, momentarily forgetting that it was 1977 and homosexually had only been legalised ten years prior in the muggle world. In the wizarding world it was still a much different story which could be seen in the exasperated face of her new friend.

"Well tell me about it then, if you feel comfortable to. By the sound of it, you're desperate to talk about it with someone!" She seemed to have guessed correctly when Peter grabbed her arm and dragged her along, regaling his thoughts, feelings, and past, the Quidditch tryouts completely forgotten.

It was not much later when a large shadow fell on their path and Hermione's heart sang when she looked up and into the face of a dear friend. Hagrid looked considerably younger and thinner around the waist, but he still had the same welcoming smile and crinkles around the eyes. This effect was somewhat lost on her when she noticed the frantic look in his eye.

"Oi is that you Pete, I need you to run for help, she's in labour!" Hermione was momentarily too shocked about the statement to stop Peter turning away to run back to the castle to get help. Yanking him back, she set about addressing the situation in hand.

"Hi Hagrid, nice to meet you, what's wrong?" She said calmly.

"It's Doris my dog, she's having puppies!" Immediately resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the name choice, she sprang into action.

"Is she in your house? Is it connected to the internal floo connections?" She began walking briskly towards the groundskeepers cottage with Peter tailing her, "If we get there quickly then we can floo call Madame Pomfrey and get her help." 

"Brilliant!" Hagrid shouted in agreement before turning to Peter and saying under his breath, "I'd keep this one around if you're ever in a mess," he looked at her again, "What was your name again?" 

"Hermione Dumbledore." She replied as they reached the front step.

He gasped again, opening the door to his guests "I heard you had a go at old Professor Cribbs about a few creatures. I was meaning to hunt you down and have a conversation with you!" 

She smiled, "I guess I was just overeager!" rushing over to the fireplace to call on Madame Pomfrey. In the time that it took her to do that, Peter had walked over to the mat in the corner of the room where a heavily pregnant dog was sitting. A small lifeless bundle was lying between its legs.

"Hagrid! Get some towels!" Peter commanded before Hagrid could start to blubber. He wrapped the pup into the towel and furiously began rubbing it's back whilst ordering Hagrid to boil some water. By the time Hermione had got her head out of the fireplace, Madame Pomfrey was following her through, taking in the scene that was very much in hand.

Peter had successfully resuscitated the lifeless puppy and it was now cradled in Hagrid's arms, it's cute little nose burrowing out of the mountain of towels that enveloped it as Hagrid blubbered. After he had done that, Peter had crouched next to the pregnant dog, padding the area with more towels so it could get more comfortable.

If Hermione didn't know any better she would think that the look in Madame Pomfrey's eye was pride. Not that she got much of a look at it, considering the way that she marched to action, instructing Peter on what to do. Hermione felt largely useless for once, but happily accepted the puppies that were loaded into her arms.

It was only later, when she was counting up the eight puppies that had been born, and Hagrid was telling her about the extended lifetimes of magical animals, that she realised that she had just witnessed the birth of Fang.

* * *

"...and then I dived right in front of Mathews and took the quaffle from underneath his nose, you should have seen his face!" James continued his blow by blow account of the try-outs, to the rest of the Marauders and Hermione. Remus had chosen to join them for dinner and was chuckling quietly, looking very pale and weak.

Sirius replied, "That smarmy git deserved it! Did you see how cocky he was acting, James had to remind him that he was the one who was Quidditch Captain, not Mathews."

They both continued to chortle, not noticing that their other friends didn't seem to get the joke as none of them had actually been there. Peter's attempts to cut into the conversation were being ignored and it was obviously annoying him. Hermione saw him visibly give up and quiet down, and she had decided that she had had enough.

"Actually we didn't see any of that because Pete and I didn't make it to the try-outs, it's nice to hear Marlene and Sirius got back in again though." This seemed to get their attention.

James and Sirius appeared to visibly deflate, "Why Pete? You know how important that was to me! I was hoping you'd big me up to Lily about how responsible I am as a Quidditch Captain. Now that's ruined if you couldn't even be bothered to show up."

At this, Hermione could see that Peter was beginning to bristle and so decided to intervene, "Sorry to miss it, but Peter was too busy saving 9 lives! Now  _ you _ should have seen that!"

"What? Has he been directing the other rodents away from Filch's traps again?" Sirius turned to his friend and sneered, "They are pests Pete, not your friends, they're supposed to die." 

Before Hermione could protest again, James butt in to tell her about the last time when Peter had gone about dismantling all of the traps in the castle. He tried to continue, in a very demeaning tone, but Peter had finally decided that he had had enough.

"Oh would you shut up!" He shouted, causing them all to quieten, as well as one or two other heads to turn to see where the exclamation had come from. 

Taking the only time his friends had allowed him to speak, he continued, "Sorry if me caring about something other than your Quidditch practice offends you, but some of us have more interesting things to talk about!"

Appreciating the still shocked silence, he breathed out a sigh of pent up frustration, "If you had actually allowed me to talk for once, then you wouldn't have had to guess and rudely pick apart all my past decisions."

By this point, Remus had begun to look down at the table in shame, but the other boys were still looking confused. "I get it. Lily doesn't talk to you, Sirius's latest fling is out for his blood, or you got marked down on your last assessment. But would it hurt to take your head out of your arses for once in a while and at least listen to someone other than yourselves?"

In a huff, Peter slammed his hands down on the table and left the Hall, not before turning to Hermione to tell her that he would see her later. The boys all sat in stoney silence for a few seconds.

"Wonder what's got his wand in a knot?" Sirius chuckled, causing Remus and Hermione to glare at him, "What?"

"Maybe he's got a point about us not listening to him then…" Remus commented.

James looked uncertain, but Sirius continued to dismiss it, "Nah, he's just stressed because he has to sit a detention tonight with McGonagall."

"And do you remember what that detention was for?" Hermione bit out, but when Sirius just shrugged, she reminded him. "Peter gave you his homework when you lost yours, and then you let him take the fall for you."

At his still vacant look, James helped, "Remember mate, you left it in that broom cupboard with Brocklehurst but then you blamed it on me." He turned back to Hermione, "I swear we sorted it in the end though, why is Pete still doing the detention?"

She huffed a breath out with a sigh, "You sorted it for yourselves, but Peter only had the introduction copied by the time it was due. No thanks to either of you." They turned to Remus to see if she was telling the truth and it appeared like he finally remembered the occasion.

Hermione focussed on James as she continued, "Lily took pity on him, so maybe consider helping your friends as a way to impress her, instead of just prancing around like you own the place."

James finally looked a bit guilty, "Oops, that shouldn't have happened, but that was only one time right?"

Hermione just sighed and turned to Remus who was grimacing, "You've got to admit that we do pick on him a bit. Maybe it gets to him a bit more than he lets on?"

Appearing to actually be concentrating on the conversation at last, Sirius contributed, "But we do that all the time with each other, it's just friendly banter. Isn't it guys?" He directed that last part at his other friends who both nodded.

"But they fight back." Hermione expanded, "Which Peter doesn't do much because he is too kind, so you keep prodding to try and get a reaction out of him." She faced each one of them in turn, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed that your comments to him are much more harsh and close to home? I haven't been here long, but even I can see that it gets to him." 

Sirius spluttered out the same excuse, "But he's a close mate, we've been doing it for years…"

"That's no excuse! If you actually used your eyes or listened to your _close mate_ for once then you wouldn't be in this mess." Hermione reminded them, looking into Sirius's dark eyes, "Just because you see yourself as the king of the bloody castle, doesn't mean that you shouldn't listen to him just because he is quieter than you."

Noticing the familiar looks of friends during one of her famous chastisement lectures, she sighed at the certainty that this would happen in any timeline. "All he does is boost you all up and make you feel better, and you all lap it up. When is the last time you asked him if he wants help with class or what he wants to do after school?" 

At this scathing reproach, she gathered her bag and left the table with a final remark, "By the way, he delivered 8 puppies from Hagrid's dog, largely without help or instruction from Pomfrey. He also managed to bring one back to life when at first it appeared dead, so sorry if we weren't too concerned that you saved yet another quaffle from Mathews."

With that, she stomped off to find the library before bed, leaving behind the stunned and impressed faces of the remaining 3 Marauders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 13: Some Surprising Slytherins


	13. Some Surprising Slytherins

By the time that the boys made it down to breakfast the next day it appeared that they had made up and we're back to joking again. To Lily's horror she also thought that she had overheard the mention of some prank to commemorate the occasion, not that they needed an excuse for a prank.

Hermione went about her day like normal, stopping to smile at times when the boys would tentatively include Peter more into their conversations. She also noticed the smaller boy grinning at her more often, and confidentially making fun of his friends back to them as time went on. 

As the weeks continued, Hermione took solace in the study sessions that she enjoyed with Severus. She had asked to call him by his first name when it got too confusing trying to compare the grumpy man she once knew with the studious 17 year old she now counted as her friend. Their conversation regarding James and Lily after the patronus incident was not brought up again.

Surprisingly, he didn't mention her blood status once, although it was safe to assume he had worked out that she was a muggleborn after her previous thinly veiled comments. Maybe his souring of disposition was not due to Lily leaving him, but thanks to her death in the war? Either way, in all of their conversations there seemed to be an invisible line drawn in the sand which both of them were too scared to cross for the time being.

Their meetings often took place on a table at the back of the library on most evenings where they would be out of sight. Although Hermione actually preferred this turn of events, she couldn't help but assume that he wanted to hide her and their budding friendship from the gang of Slytherins she often saw him trailing behind. When he ignored her in the hallways and didn't apologize later she was hurt, but chose not to address it in case she were to jeopardise the progress that she had made.

In the short hours they spent together in the evenings, Hermione found that sometimes they wouldn't be able to stop talking and sometimes they would barely say a word to one another. Whatever happened though, Hermione always enjoyed the time they spent together, finding it a welcome reprieve from the chaos and the noise of the rest of the Gryffindors.

Although they tried to keep away from prying eyes, it was inevitable that the Marauders would find them at some point. She had been finding their pointed glares in potions especially annoying, which had now apparently led to them checking up on her presumably using the Marauders Map to make sure she hadn't been attacked. Their protective instincts were only gaining in strength, much to her chagrin, because now three of them had a vested interest, thanks to her supporting them in various ways or another. 

Sirius still posed to be a problem because he always kept himself distant from her. She had noticed it was similar in the future timeline but had assumed it was thanks to his prolonged stay in Azkaban. The fact that it was still there encouraged Hermione to think it was more due to his awful family leaving him, although she didn't want to assume or pry. 

This unfortunately meant that he was often the deliverer of some particularly harsh comments towards her new friend. Where Peter or Remus would beg off at times to respect her wishes, or James would ignore the boy as an unspoken promise to Lily, Sirius would take any opportunity to ridicule Snape. When Hermione was around, this, luckily for him, remained in the field of teasing and rude comments rather than cruel hexes.

It was after one particularly harsh comment about his greasy hair that Hermione decided to step in, once they were alone again. "You know if you use a pea sized amount of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion every other day and then use a stasis charm on it while it dries, it won't be so greasy." She smiled and gestured to her own ruffled barnet, "I don't deal with this all the time without having a trick or two up my sleeve."

He smiled sardonically and quipped in return, "Well it doesn't appear to be working does it?"

She gasped at his joking rudeness and reached across the table to give him a playful smack, "Just because I often can't be bothered to go to all of the trouble doesn't mean that I don't know how to tame it. Anyway mine would take a lot more potion than that and I don't have that kind of money or patience!" 

"I can see that." He continued, visibly taking in her rumpled appearance by trailing his eyes over her loosened tie, unbuttoned shirt and ink coated hands. She felt her face warming as he continued, "Anyway, I swore off that stuff once I heard that my money would be going towards Potter's inheritance." At her confused look, he clarified, "His dad invented it."

_ Oh _ . Her mind supplied, no wonder he looked familiar during the Order meetings. Hermione snorted, causing an unruly strand of hair to blow away from her face, "That's such a petty reason to not buy something, it's only a couple of galleons."

Severus gave her a look as if to say  _ if you want to see petty, you haven't seen anything yet.  _ She huffed and whipped out her wand to cast a charm that she had often seen Ginny perform on herself when she hadn't been able to wash her hair for a while. Hermione still remembered the disgruntled look on the woman's face when she had to admit that she couldn't use Sleekeazy's because it did weird things to red hair.

Unthinkingly, Hermione reached across the table again to run her hands through Severus's hair, feeling the thick tresses become unstuck, strong and glossy, just like her ginger friend's had. Her hands momentarily stilled when she realised what she was doing and peered down at her relatively new friend.

Puzzledly blushing was a very sweet look on her old Professor, and Hermione couldn't help but return the red look. Extricating her palm from its place she apologized, but couldn't help but realise that this was probably the one and only time that anyone had touched the mop that they had all joked about when they were younger. Changing her mind, she decided to playfully ruffle his hair as she retreated. Harry and Ron would have been glad that she took the opportunity when it was available.

During this process, Hermione got the chance to stand closer to Severus that she had ever been and surprisingly found herself enjoying what she was experiencing. He smelt really good. Sort of sweet and tangy at the same time, with a distinct masculine scent ringing throughout. This was nothing like the stench of death or dank dungeon that she expected so Hermione flinched away at the odd feeling it inspired.

Appalled by the thought that she couldn't possibly be attracted to the man who haunted her adolescent nightmares, she took in the rest of his appearance. While she had originally seen no difference between the older man; with the loss of his sneers, the smiles and smirks that replaced them were instantly endearing. Hermione couldn't help feeling that she was being given a rare gift every time she was graced with one.

The hooked nose was softened when his pale, thin lips would laugh, and the black eyes that accompanied them, spoke of a sharp intellect and razor sharp wit. Although he was not toned, like the rest of her Quidditch friends, Severus was tall and lanky, with broad shoulders which Hermione couldn't help but imagine what they would look like with considerably fewer clothes in the way.

Ignoring that train of thought, she promptly wrote a note on a piece of paper about various charms and potions that Severus could use, thankful that he also hadn't commented on the tense atmosphere. Hermione yet again reminded herself that she was in this timeline to carry out a job and she shouldn't get side-tracked by relationships that she couldn't fully commit to. Especially when he was obsessed with someone else.

When she left the library that evening, Hermione decided to take a detour to the Room of Requirement in order to have a look at the progression of the Wolfsbane Potion. Dumbledore had managed to get a hold of the ingredients that she needed and she was currently on her first attempt at brewing it. The only problem was that she needed to collect the main ingredient of the aconite plant from the Forbidden Forest on the full moon itself, for it to work. This meant that Remus would have to struggle through at least one more transition whilst still without his mind.

Upon returning from the seventh floor, she was shaken out of her pondering by a crash and a murmur of voices from a nearby broom cupboard. Although she was no longer a prefect, Hermione couldn't help but make sure that the people who were canoodling in there would stop. This joy was fortunately taken away from her when the door banged open and a very ruffled Sirius Black fell to the floor, an equally ruffled sixth year Ravenclaw in his arms.

The girl in question immediately leapt up and off Sirius before noticing Hermione. She took in her raised eyebrow before scampering off into the night, leaving a disgruntled boy behind. "What did you do that for? I was so close and you interrupted."

"And how exactly did I interrupt? To my knowledge, that door gave way, and so I cannot be held accountable. Anyway, James and Lily are patrolling so you would have been found eventually."

He huffed before replying, "Don't lie and say you weren't about to intervene. What'll that be now? 10 trysts that you have interrupted, forced to reschedule, or just generally cockblocked?" 

She grinned evilly, "11, you're forgetting about the time that Marlene joked about having another go."

"Pfff, that barely counts,"

"Well I still count it as a win!"

Suddenly realising what time it was, Sirius looked around them before smirking at her, "Well well well, what exactly are you doing out and about at this time of night anyway? Nefarious activities, or hypocritically partaking in a bit of snogging yourself?"

She rolled her eyes as he babbled on, "So who's the lucky fella then, or should I be congratulating Snivellus on finally getting a girl to stand touching him?"

Hoping that he would ignore the blush that arose at the thought, she countered, "How do you know that it was a boy? After all, you never do hear what actually happens in the girls dormitories…" At this, all she got was a groan and closed eyes in imagination, so she took the chance to sneak away.

Noticing her absence, Sirius caught up with her as they began to walk back to the common room. Although it was obvious that neither teen trusted the other, they both got on well and Hermione found that in the moments that she was laughing with Sirius or making fun of his flirting skills, that she felt very much at home. Sirius also felt a strange kinship, and couldn't help but wonder how the strange witch had wheedled her way into his heart so quickly, seemingly impervious to his charms, not for want of trying.

They had almost made it back to the common room, both smiling as they joked back and forth about something or another when they heard a rustle and a moan from a nearby broom cupboard. "Aha!" Sirius gloated, causing Hermione to jump, "I'm not the only one who is a manwhore, to put it in your own words, sweetheart."

She rolled her eyes and he made to fling the door open, both of them becoming momentarily speechless when James Potter fell out, attached securely at the lips to Lily Evans. When they broke apart and simultaneously leapt to opposite sides of the corridor, beet red in the face, Hermione and Sirius couldn't help but burst into laughter.

It wasn't until they made it back to the portrait of the fat lady that they realised that they were no longer being followed. They turned around only to break out into laughter again when they noticed that James had pinned Lily to another wall and was taking the time to thoroughly let her know his feelings, after pretending for the past few weeks.

* * *

News that Lily had finally cracked and had asked James out had not taken long to filter though the Hogwarts gossip grapevine. This wasn't helped by the fact that Sirius yelled it at the top of his lungs whilst standing on the table at breakfast the next day. The pair were both sat in silence, both bright red, although their clasped hands and beaming smiles signified that they were far from unhappy.

Lily was also shocked to find out that a lot of money passed hands that day thanks to numerous bets that were set up years ago between both the teachers and the students alike. James took particular glee to accept 10 extra house points from McGonagall just for turning up to the lesson, knowing that he had just won her a considerable amount of money. It was nice to know that she believed him in that capacity.

Unfortunately for Hermione, this development meant that her new study partner's moods considerably worsened. Although James wasn't rubbing in the fact that he had finally got Lily to give him the time of day, Severus couldn't help but hear about it in every nook and cranny of the castle. Hermione even had the pleasure of watching him witness them kissing one evening when they were walking back from the library. He did not look happy.

Glorifying in the fact that he finally had a date to the first Hogsmeade weekend, James barely paid attention when the other Marauders offered to replace him with Hermione for the day. She was flattered and agreed to split her time with them and the girls, allowing them to spend time in the Quidditch shop when she wasn't interested.

On the walk down, she luckily didn't have to pretend to be awed and amazed by her surroundings thanks to the fact that she had lived there all summer. Instead she caused the Marauders jaws to drop when they walked into the Hog's Head to see it considerably cleaner and more populated than it had been before. Aberforth was glad to see her, even though she came down every Saturday evening to work there, thanks to some favouritism from her uncle.

He didn't hug her, because she knew it made him uncomfortable to show affection in front of other people, but she didn't miss the bright look on his face when she walked in before he hid it with his usual frown. Why he felt the need to always give off the grumpy old man persona, Hermione could only question. Aberforth also appeared to find the increased numbers in his pub annoying because it made him work more, but the extra money had allowed him to make it a bit more homely than how Hermione had first found it.

With a bolt of surprise, she found herself feeling very much at home as soon as she walked in, and couldn't help but question whether she still would feel the same about her old muggle home, after so long away. Another happy surprise was the person who was waiting for her behind the bar.

"Hermione! How are you?" Benjy began, leaping over the bar to give her a hug, ignoring Aberforth's grumble about not getting his shoes on the top. He knew that Aberforth was just unhappy that his surrogate daughter was in the company of so many young men. Benjy sought to exacerbate the man further by planting a loud kiss on her cheek, chuckling when he rolled his eyes and stomped away.

"How's my favourite girl then? Already breaking hearts and leaving a trail of boys yammering after you I see." He joked, gesturing to the 3 boys that still surrounded her. When she turned to them herself, she could see that her friends' flirty ways had also had the desired effects on them, as they were all frowning at him. 

She chuckled, "Something like that…"

"Hi, I recognise you from somewhere…" Remus began holding out his hand for the older boy to shake.

"Benjy Fenwick ringing any bells?" He replied, shaking the offered hand before moving on to the other two, "I'm a Hufflepuff that graduated last year. Our Hermione here has been keeping me company all summer." At this last comment he gave her a wink and she rolled her eyes.

Noticing that she wasn't giving his flirting any mind, Remus and Peter softened and gave him their names in a friendly manner. For some reason, Sirius was still doing his male posturing act, puffing out his chest to make himself seem larger. Hermione resolved herself to have a chat with him later about picking his battles, because this misplaced protectiveness had to stop.

They all sat down for a while and had a chat before the girls joined them, along with a smiling James and Lily. Aberforth seemed to brighten a lot more when he noticed that she had made some friends that weren't all male, and she took pleasure in noticing that Marlene's flirting reply to Benjy had momentarily stumped the man. Enjoying the strange occurrence of two worlds colliding, Hermione couldn't help but feeling incredibly happy to be surrounded by the people that had grown to accept her.

Aberforth offered to let her have the night off when he saw how much fun she was having and so she soon found herself walking back to the castle in a gaggle of hyper teenagers. It was when Lily was rolling her eyes at James pointing out the finer points of a new broom he had just bought, when Hermione noticed something in the distance.

They had been passing the Quidditch stands, and Hermione's eye was drawn to a dark figure who was performing some tricky manoeuvres that she recognised to be seeker's moves. Suddenly something seemed to go wrong, and the dark blob appeared to falter and slip over the side of the broom. From their position high above the pitch, they started to plummet in a manner that would surely cause death.

"ARRESTO MOMENTUM!" Hermione shouted instinctively and grabbed James's new broom, leaping off the ground before the rest of the party could even begin to work out what was wrong. With record timing, she sped across the space, falling back on her speed training to get to the falling body on time. Although their descent was considerably slowed, it still knocked the wind out of Hermione when they collided, but she managed to safely direct them both back to the ground.

By this time, her friends had worked out what had happened and were running over shouting. Hermione took the time to right herself and to ascertain the health of the person she had just saved, "Are you alright?" She began frantically before freezing when she was met with a pair of familiar eyes. Sirius Black's eyes.

The boy in front of her looked like a cross between Sirius and Severus, with Snape's willowy body structure, but with many of Sirius's facial features. Where Sirius's hair had a slight wave that softened his features, Regulus's hair was much longer and pin straight, although it was currently secured in a man bun atop his head. His longer and thinner face was conspicuous with the lack of the smile lines that always adorned his brother's. 

His response of "Of course I'm alright, you blithering idiot!" was drowned out by Sirius' shout of "Reggie?"

Hermione couldn't help but notice how the younger boy's eyes seemed to widen at this still distant shout, and for a second she thought she imagined it when his face suddenly began to close off. He grimaced and turned to his saviour, "Thanks for that, but I'm sure I would have had it under control, Severus was watching out for me in the stands." At this final part, he gestured to another shadow hunched in the darkened seating area.

She had thought that their landing had been significantly softer than she had expected, so she silently thanked Severus and waved. It was at this point when the rest of her group of friends caught up with her, crowding around the pair. "What the hell do you think you are doing Reggie?" An angry and red faced Sirius demanded, as soon as he had caught his breath, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

If she hadn't still been reeling, Hermione would have been touched at the obvious concern Sirius still held for his younger brother. Instead, Hermione could only watch in shock as the younger boy brushed off the hand that Sirius had raised to check if he was okay. "Don't pretend you care! I had it under control anyway."

Sirius gaped, "Of course I bloody well care! If that is what you call under control, maybe I should bring Hermione down to watch all of your Quidditch practices."

Regulus just rolled his eyes and shrugged off their stares, walking away to join Severus who had joined them, standing away to the side. Hermione and Regulus both saw the lost look in Snape's eyes as he gazed at Lily who was still enveloped in James's arms. Resolved to evacuate the scene as quickly as possible, Regulus tugged on his arm and they both sauntered away. 

Overly conscious of the silence that had fallen as Sirius gazed longingly after the retreating form of his brother, Hermione took the chance to redirect their attention. "Here you are James, sorry that you didn't get the chance to break it in yourself." She said as she handed him his new broom back.

"Maybe you should keep it for yourself! How did you suddenly learn to fly that well?" James chuckled, amazed at her skill.

Marlene interrupted the excuse that Hermione had begun to make up, "She practices every morning before we go for a run. Maybe you should take a leaf out of her book Black."

Now that he was successfully distracted from his brother's departure, Sirius replied, "It looks like I have to, why on Earth have you not applied for the Quidditch team, you’d do great as a Seeker?" Both Marlene and James nodded in agreement.

She chuckled and told them about her fear of flying with other people and flying objects, as well as her lack of tactical knowledge and her general dislike of the sport. Unfortunately, this didn't seem like such a good excuse considering the fact that she had just collided with a falling body at record speeds not 2 minutes ago, exhibiting no fear at all.

For some reason, taking the spot that Harry played in a team captained by his own father, was too much to wrap her head around and so she decided to just leave the Quidditch to the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 14: The Bigot and the Beast


	14. The Bigot and the Beast

When she arrived for her revision session in the library the next day Hermione was surprised to notice that Severus was not sitting alone. Her surprise grew when Regulus did not move when she sat down, they only stopped whispering as he got out his books. She raised an eyebrow to Severus but he just shook his head and they continued to work in silence.

This continued to happen for the next couple of days and Hermione eventually grew more comfortable around the younger boy. Although he was a year younger than them in school, he was actually quite intelligent and so would often contribute to their conversations about their course. Unsurprisingly, he had a very similar sarcastic, dry humour to Severus, and Hermione began to enjoy his company more.

During the horcrux hunt, when she had first learnt about Regulus's betrayal of Voldemort, she had imagined him as some sort of quiet and brooding hero, but she couldn't have been more wrong. She knew that a lot could happen in the two years before he was supposed to die, but Hermione was amazed at how young he was acting.

He may have only been 15 or 16, but Hermione likened the way he talked to that of an annoying younger brother. Often found whining at what he was expected to do at school and at home, Hermione was reminded of how Malfoy used to act. The comments he offhandedly made regarding those he saw as lesser than him obviously demonstrated someone who had grown up with these opinions thrown in his face as if they were facts. 

His naivety and lack of thought when he spewed certain opinions often made Hermione and Snape have to look around hesitantly to see if anyone else had heard what he was saying. Oddly enough Snape didn't mention the fact that he knew Hermione was a muggleborn until Regulus had dug himself into a very deep hole. Hermione took great pleasure in bringing him back to reality, after a week of spending time with him.

He was in the middle of a tirade about the differences between how muggles raise their children to be barely literate when Hermione interrupted. She was glad to finally put a stop to his harmful and ill-thought-out comments, and hopefully return to the casual calm of her past revision sessions with Severus.

"So has it been an issue getting help from and studying with me then?" 

"What are you talking about?" He mumbled offhandedly, obviously not listening.

"Well my parents were too stupid to teach me how to read and write, so you must have been having issues copying off of me then." Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione noticed Severus smile.

"Hermione, I think you're confused. I'm talking about Muggle methods of child rearing, I'm sure you had the finest tutors growing up." He continued writing notes while the other two shared sly smiles.

"Oh I did, my parents ensured it. The issue comes with the fact that my parents weren't actually wizards, so that would suggest that I shouldn't be able to comprehend the contents of these sheets that you were so happy to receive, let alone be able to have written them." By this point, Regulus was staring at her with a confused look on his face. "That is if your sources are correct." 

"I don't understand…"

She paused before asking, "Are you calling me stupid?"

"No, of course n.."

"I assume you don't need my notes then if your superior wizarding childhood means that you know more than me then." She continued, ripping the sheet he had been working from out from underneath his nose.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you aware that I have been achieving the top marks in the majority of my classes?"

"Obviously, that's why I wanted your hel…"

"Well then," she sighed and smiled at him, "Could there be the slightest possibility that what you believe is incorrect then, seeing as the top student in the year is in fact a  _ muggleborn _ girl?"

She put emphasis on the final part of the statement and to her delight, his jaw dropped when he grasped her meaning, "Maybe before you swan in here and insult me to my face, you could do me the courtesy of actually doing your research?"

As he gaped for a second more while scrambling for something to say, she let the awkward pause drag out before he replied "But you're a Dumbledore!"

"I thought it was common knowledge that I was adopted?"

"Well yeah, but your family's are friends, aren't they?"

"Yes but that doesn't make me a pureblood. You just assumed," she stared down at him, "And it's never polite to assume. I'm sure your perfect pureblood tutors taught you that?"

"Uh-huh" he mumbled out

"So now that you truly know what dirty company you keep, do you wish to leave?" She finished coldly, gesturing to the door, "If not, can I kindly ask that you keep your misinformed beliefs about me and my family out of the conversation!"

She was annoyed to see that he actually seemed to contemplate it before shaking his head to decline. After that, he was much less vocal about his beliefs, but Hermione often caught him looking at her oddly when she solved a particularly difficult Arithmancy problem or said something that made him laugh. 

* * *

As October drew to a close she finally began feeling that she was on top of her workload. Unfortunately, this was before they began to ramp it up for the mocks that were scheduled to happen before Christmas. This meant that she still didn't have much time to look into the positions of the horcruxes. In the time she had when she woke up in the middle of the night screaming, she decided to dedicate her time to reordering the events on the 'Death Book' into Aberforth's gifted notepad. 

It was times like these when she considered just how much time she had left. In just under 4 years, Harry was supposed to die and Voldemort would be eradicated, and that was truly the last deadline she had to execute her mission. Other than that, she had 4 years left, and she pretty much already knew all of the important information that they had needed to gather the first time around!

According to the 'Death Book' the majority of the Order deaths were due to happen in 1981, so Hermione couldn't help it when little niggles of doubt would worm their way into her psyche. What if she just let her mission slide for the time being, and took the time to rest and enjoy her childhood? So much of her innocence had been taken away, would it hurt to take the rest of the year, to just enjoy what she had left? 

An announcement had recently popped up on the noticeboard in the Gryffindor common room about a Christmas Ball and her friends were all excited to go. Would it be the end of the world to at least wait until after Christmas to begin her mission? She was enjoying joking about with her new friends much more than she thought, who could blame her if the distant issue of the horcruxes went forgotten?

With that in mind, she decided to focus more on her studies and with helping her friends. One problem she had encountered was that she couldn't work out how to become an animagus. She had dabbled with the idea when she first discovered what Harry's dad had achieved in her 3rd year. Unfortunately, no matter what she tried, she couldn't get past the first steps of quieting her mind to discover which animal would suit her. She had assumed it would be an otter like her patronus, but that didn't sit well with her and neither had any other animal she thought of.

Frustrated with her lack of progress, she decided to confront McGonagall about her proclivity towards Transfiguration. Claiming that it was for her mission did nothing to help Hermione when the Professor described that certain witches and wizards simply cannot transform when they are at war with themselves. The fact of the issue was that Hermione would not be able to get past this first step without being comfortable with herself and her place in life. Disregarding this notion, Hermione vowed to continue practicing, not allowing herself to be bested by Rita Skeeter of all people.

It was for this reason that Hermione found herself feeling angry and resentful as she strolled across the Hogwarts grounds in the middle of the night. After an evening of failed attempts of 'finding herself' she now had to collect the aconite that would be blooming that night. Dumbledore had promised that Remus would somehow be kept away from the forest's edge on this full moon so that it would be safe for her.

Nonetheless, it was bloody terrifying walking out in the open in the middle of the night. Thanks to the clear sky and the bright moon, shadows seemed to pop up everywhere making Hermione jump at the most inopportune times. Whilst she was collecting the herbs she needed from the forest's edge she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched and so hummed quietly to herself to distract her from the encroaching shadows. 

Thankfully free of the treeline, Hermione glanced over her shoulder for a last cautionary look. If she wasn't mistaken, that shadow had moved. She stopped a second to pay closer attention to it but it remained stationary causing her to dismiss her first thought.

Then it moved again. And this time it was whilst she was watching it. Looking straight into a pair of bright red eyes.

It was tall and built, perched upright as if it were a human but as it moved slowly towards her she noticed that it began to lope forward on all fours. From her experience of her third year Hermione knew that the creature before her was a werewolf, what she also knew was that it could not have the mind of the man inside it, and it definitely was not her old Professor.

She stayed stock still as they both regarded each other from a distance and she observed the mottled patches of grey in the beast's matted fur. Unlike the battered werewolf she had encountered in the future, this one was fully at peace with the man and the wolf and delighted in baring its teeth at Hermione, it's maw already dripping with blood. Making sure to not make eye contact, she lowered her head in submission towards what she knew used to be Fenrir Greyback.

Distinctly remembering Lupin's description of the man's wolf, she could pick out the grotesque, scarred features that could only belong to him. She was unhelpfully reminded of his comments at Malfoy Manor when he thought that he would be gifted her and she shuddered. The beast saw this and somehow seemed to smile, accepting it as a sign of fear from his prey before he could strike.

The snarl that ripped forth was all the notice she got before it leapt and she turned and fled, bellowing at the top of her lungs. There was still a considerable distance between the pair but she knew that he would cross that in mere seconds, she whimpered as she regarded the short distance that she still had to make towards the Entrance Hall. She wouldn't make it. 

Hearing Greyback's growl much closer than she would have liked, she instead turned to run to the Whomping Willow, hoping the flailing branches would protect her in some way. As her panting increased, she was thankful for the cardio and endurance training she had been putting herself through. Just as she began to feel the heat of his breath on her neck, something dark suddenly collided with her side, winding her and taking her out of the path of the rampaging beast for a few seconds.

Quickly scrambling from her position laying face down on the grass she leapt up and turned to face her saviour. To her horror, she found that the only thing standing between her and the most violent werewolf in living history was none other than Sirius Black. She swore and sent a quick patronus to Dumbledore, simply saying the word help before she was interrupted.

Still in the form of a black dog, Sirius snarled and snapped in the face of Greyback, and Hermione noticed a stunned stag standing not far off with a smaller shadow hanging from his antlers. Before any altercation could begin, a wall of muscle and fury barrelled into their adversary.

She had been so preoccupied with keeping an eye on Greyback, that Hermione hadn't noticed a considerably younger looking Remus emerge from the Whomping Willow passageway. It seemed that even without his mind present, the young werewolf remembered who was the one that had given him this curse. He did not look happy about it.

Taking the opportunity that presented itself, Hermione leapt to her feet and ran off to the castle, ignoring the flail of claws and teeth that were clashing behind her. In the short seconds that she had stayed, she could see that the smaller werewolf was going to lose and she pitied how Remus would feel tomorrow. Assuming he made it until then.

Sure that she had seen a silhouette in the open doorway of the Entrance Hall, Hermione was momentarily distracted when she heard the battle end behind her. It seemed that Remus had been struck and was now collapsed on the floor, Hermione gasped as James and Sirius stepped before the form of their fallen friend in defensive poses. This, however, proved pointless when the monster sniffed at the air and his eyes once more came to rest upon Hermione.

Knowing that there was nothing else for it, Hermione steeled herself as she stood her ground, the beast scrambling towards her while the dog and the stag lagged behind, belatedly attempting to come to her aid. Hoping against all else that this actually worked, she cast a sonorous to her throat and bellowed, "FENRIR GREYBACK!"

By some miracle, it seemed that the myth of calling the man's true name had been correct because he momentarily froze mid air. Thankful that those would not be her last words, she summoned all of her magic to cast a stunning spell.

She was not alone in her cry and Hermione jumped back to see that she had Dumbledore and McGonagall on either side of her, doing the same. Thanks to her calling and the force of 3 stunning spells, the werewolf was frown backwards about 20 metres and seemed to come unstuck from whatever spell she had put him under. Amazed that the combined magic of three spells did not take him down, Hermione could only watch as Fenrir snarled and ran back off into the forest. 

"Took you long enou-- Ahhhh!" Hermione groaned as she sank to her knees and cradled her stomach, all thoughts of yelling at Dumbledore falling off her lips. Stabbing pains racketed through her as she breathed in and she could feel the edges of her vision start to blur and blacken. The last thing she saw was the concerned faces of her professors and the approaching sight of three animals before she fell backwards. "Remus…?" was the last word that escaped before everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 15: The Problem Period


	15. The Problem Period

For the second time in as many months, Hermione found herself walking up confused in the Hospital Wing. This time, however, she did not return slowly, instead leaping out of her bed with a gasp of breath. This proved to be the wrong response when ribbons of pain suddenly lanced across her abdomen. 

Her involuntary shout of pain echoed across the room, alerting all of the occupants that she had woken up. Hermione was in so much pain that she didn't notice the three startled heads that poked over the screen surrounding her bed, and instead curled into a foetal position, cradling the damaged area. It was only when the approaching Madame Pomfrey shooed them away that she grew aware of their presence and straightened out so as to look as if she were in less pain than she was.

"Miss Dumbledore! You weren't meant to be able to wake up yet!" Pomfrey tutted and handed Hermione a flask of liquid that she recognised as Dreamless Sleep Potion. Grimacing, Hermione raised herself up to a sitting position and placed it down on her bedside table, much to Pomfrey's displeasure.

"What time is it?" She winced as the words caused more echoes of pain to rip through her, searching around the infirmary for a clock.

"Much too early for you to be awake, young lady!" Was all the reply she got as she took in the large clock above the door that read 7:45, "You are recovering from a cracked rib and some bruising, which will continue to be painful whenever you breathe."

"What? How did I pass out from that? All I did was get pushed over, surely I couldn't have been hurt so much just from that?"

The other woman sucked in a burst of air through her teeth, tutting patronisingly, "It has come to my attention that you are quite smart so I will not bore you with simple physics. The fact of the situation is that you were moving very quickly, and the animal you collided with was also moving very quickly. Therefore you went flying and impacted the floor quite hard, it also didn't help that the animal landed heavily on top of you."

Hermione frowned, and reached for a small mirror on her bedside to see if there were any visible injuries, wincing at the slight movement, "That doesn't explain why I collapsed, surely I would have had so much adrenaline rushing through me that it shouldn't have been possible."

"No. Actually that was a result of you apparently skipping meals and not drinking enough water, or would you like to disagree with my diagnosis?" Pomfrey raised her eyebrow when Hermione began to open her mouth to make up an excuse, "It seems that the sudden exercise and fear of the situation was too much to handle."

Annoyed that she had been defeated by such a pointless reason, she sighed, remembering the wasted hours she had been spending attempting to become an animagus, "I was so busy studying yesterday that I must have forgotten." 

"Well see that you take better care of yourself in future then, I have enough to worry about without picking up after children who can't sort themselves out."

After seeing the Nurse at the last Order meeting, Hermione knew that she knew that Hermione was likely no longer just a whining child, so she assumed the woman was just trying to get a rise out of her. Choosing to ignore the bait and instead infuriate her further, Hermione smiled at the matronly woman, "Please can you just give me a pain potion and a pepper up and I'll just get on with my day? After all, you are very busy, so I'll just get out of your hair." 

"Of course not, you need bed rest for at least the rest of the day, the majority of which should be unconscious!" Hermione sighed, knowing that it would have likely been no use.

Choosing a different tactic, Hermione levelled her gaze at the older woman and explained in a lowered voice, "You and I both know that if so many students don't appear in classes on the day after the full moon that people are going to notice." This seemed to make the woman pause in shock, allowing Hermione the chance to raise the covers and swing her legs out of bed. 

After getting over the shock that Hermione knew about Remus's condition, Promfrey cut in again, "Now there's no need to worry about that, I'm sure the Headmaster will sort it all out," She fussed over Hermione before the witch batted her hands away.

"If you don't help me with the potions, you know that I'll just sneak out and continue with my day without them." Hermione argued with a grin that rivalled the Marauders, sucking in a sharp breath when another stab of pain appeared. "In my time, I found quite a few ways of getting in and out of this room unnoticed over the years." Hermione was not concerned about revealing her time-travelling past with the woman because Dumbledore had added her to the short list of people that knew about it.

Pomfrey looked offended but Hermione could see the beginnings of her resolve crumbling in her eyes, "Were you always such a difficult patient back then? I can't imagine that an unproblematic girl like you would have had to come see me that often in the future?" She replied, her tone heavily laced with sarcasm.

Surprised at the older witch's rare use of humour, Hermione snorted, hiding the dark feeling that took over her as she remembered all of the close calls that Madame Pomfrey would have to address in the other timeline. Seeming to notice the shift in mood, Pomfrey raised a hand to her shoulder and rubbed, "I'll just go get the potions and a jar of Murtlap Essence, you have some nasty bruising my dear."

Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief as she walked off and turned to find a pile of yesterday's clothes, washed and dried at the foot of her bed. Disregarding the command to stay still until she returned, Hermione shuffled forward to get dressed. It was absolute agony, but she forced her lips together whilst listening out to the rest of the room.

".....get some food in you boys, Mr Lupin will be safe healing here for a couple of hours more. As I have just been reminded, you need to work extra hard today to make sure no one notices his absence." The hushed tones of Madame Pomfrey faded and were replaced by the retreating footsteps of people leaving the room. Hermione quickly sat down when she heard fast approaching steps.

The pale green curtains around her bed were sharply pulled to the side and she was left to guiltily smile at the enraged Nurse. "What did I say about moving? I have half a mind to keep you here out of spite, at least that way I can make sure that you are eating and drinking. If you collapse again after I discharge you, people will blame me! Now lie back and raise your shirt." 

Hermione did as she was told and gladly gulped the two potions while the bruise paste was applied to her purple and blue abdomen, the fresh bruising mixing with the remnants of Dolohov's curse. It was hard to miss Pomfrey's frown, so Hermione redirected her attention by asking the question that had been bugging her. "How is Remus? Will he recover?"

It had been bothering her for as long as she had seen his body fall on the night before, heartbroken at the thought that her presence in this timeline could have resulted in even more pain for her friends. Pomfrey's voice and touch softened as she put the cap back on pot of salve, "He will be fine eventually, he just needs a few days of rest to recover," her eyes flicked to Hermione's, "He will stay here in secret while we tell everyone else that he has gone to a family member's funeral. I assume I don't need to worry about you revealing his secret?"

"Of course not," Hermione flinched at the vehemence in her tone, "I've known since I was 13 and that man has earned my trust many times over, so I'm not going to betray it now." 

Pomfrey smiled, "That's good to hear dear, I'm sure he feels similar towards you considering that he came to your defence even in wolf form."

Hermione blushed at the other woman's tone, incorrectly assuming they had some sort of relationship going on, "Oh that's not…. What I mean to say…. Um… We're just friends."

The woman only patted her hand and helped her to stand, shooing her off towards the door, "Whatever you say, just make sure that you keep coming back every 4 hours for a top up and a check over your condition." Her tone became more stern when she noticed Hermione's grimace return at the movement of her still bruised torso, "If you miss an appointment it is well within my power to drag you back here, and don't worry, my excuse will be much more embarrassing than a tussle with two fully grown werewolves!"

Head full with possible illnesses that the Nurse could pretend she had, Hermione quickly scrambled for the door, briefly glancing at the bed furthest from her, completely encircled by thick curtains.

* * *

Pain wasn't the right word to use to describe how she was currently feeling. Sure, it was unpleasant and all encompassing, but it was more of a dulled ache, it only hurt when she moved, spoke, or breathed really. Yes actually; it was absolute agony. 

When she had left the Hospital Wing, she was preoccupied with convincing Madame Pomfrey that she was healthy enough to spend the day out of bed. But by the time that she had made it down to breakfast, she had begun to feel the pain all across her torso, spreading outwards to her joints. She could feel it deep in her bones.

Momentarily ignoring the feeling of the bruising, Hermione smiled as she approached the Gryffindor table, sitting down in between both the girls and the boys. The boys in question were quite obviously staring at her in silence, trying to see if she would make a comment about the night before. Determined to act like nothing had happened, she focussed on the girls and sat down, a slight tightening of the jaw was the only sign of pain she exhibited.

"Hey Hermione, I didn't see you this morning, did you drop in for another early morning library session?" Alice said whilst not looking up from her copy of Witch Weekly.

Hermione nodded and reached for the Coco Pops, "Something like tha-"

"Oh no!" Marlene interrupted smiling smugly, "I'm sure she was off canoodling all night with a boy, she didn't even turn up for our run," 

Hermione groaned as this swiftly drew the attention of all of her friends, the girl's all gasped, before Lily flicked her eyes to the boys, noticing what day it was by the absence of Remus. Before they could cut in with their questions, Lily tried to distract them, "I'm sure whatever happened was great but it is none of our business."

"Oh get off your high horse Lils, you're not fooling anyone! We all know that you are as desperate as we are to find out who it is." Alice cut in, smiling gleefully at the chance of gossip.

"Yes who it could be is tricky considering the only boys you tend to hang out with are sat right with us…" Mary mentioned, glancing hesitantly towards the doorway in case Remus decided to join them.

"I wasn't with a boy." 

"Oh that's what they all say!" Alice mumbled.

Hermione rolled her eyes before Marlene began naming all of the boys that they had seen Hermione talk to recently, counting them off on her fingers as she went along. "Well there's that Ravenclaw from Charms that you helped with his homework, oh, and Jack Finch who you insulted on Tuesday, he has been trying to catch your attention ever since. Not to mention…" 

She ignored her blonde friend while she continued to eat, quickly shooting a look at the Marauders. They were all feigning nonchalance badly, while listening avidly to the conversation.

"Oh my God!" Marlene screeched, causing Hermione to jump and almost dribble milk down her front, "Please don't tell me you were shagging Severus Snape!"

It was this exclamation that caused Hermione to choke on her cereal. As she fought to swallow her mouthful, she hoped that her predicament would cover the red cheeks that had bloomed at the statement. Lily raised a comforting hand to rub her back to soothe her, and Hermione was glad she hadn't patted it because she didn't know if she could stand any more bruises. 

"No!" Hermione said, almost too powerfully to be convincing, and was forced to endure the combined smiles of her roommates as they all shared a look.

"Oh come on Hermione, we've all noticed how well you get on in potions," Mary smirked and glanced over to the Slytherin table, "And even I can admit that he's been looking quite good lately now that he's sorted out his hair. I might even ask him what product he's using…" 

"I can show you if you'd like," Hermione announced, trying and failing to divert the conversation towards hair care, "I gave him a hand."

Marlene burst into laughter and turned towards her friend, poking her playfully in the ribs, "I'm sure you did!"

The other's chortles at the double entendre were cut short when they noticed Hermione's gasp of pain. Unknowingly, Marlene had poked directly into the fleshy part of Hermione's torso that was currently covered with bruises. Without meaning to Hermione raised her head and clapped eyes with Sirius.

He knew. His piercing eyes regarded the area where she was protecting with her arms before clapping back onto her own. There was absolutely no doubt that he had connected the dots to discover that she remembered last night’s events . Furthermore, thanks to the look they were now sharing, it was obvious that she knew about Remus's connection as well, or at least had some suspicions. 

Hermione turned back to the girls who were all looking at her with shock, not knowing what could have caused such a vocal reaction. "I got my period." She grimaced and ignored the boys, going with the easiest and most plausible excuse, "That was the reason I wasn't in bed this morning, my cramps are absolute agony today and so I went to Pomfrey to get something to help. Sorry I didn't feel up to running, I'll let you know next time."

She directed the final part of the statement to Marlene who was looking contrite, "No need to apologize girl, I'm exactly the same on my first day, I barely want to leave my bed, let alone run around the Quidditch pitch." 

Alice chuckled and contributed, "How you two are able to run every morning is a mystery to me, even when I'm not on my period I would take any other activity over exercise by choice. Sorry we kept pushing Hermione, we shouldn't have embarrassed you like that." 

Hermione smiled and pretended to blush, thanks to Ginny and her lack of a filter, she had grown comfortable talking about this sort of stuff at an early age and often used to do it on purpose to make Ron and Harry go red. "You'll need to get over that if you want to join Frank in the auror training program, didn't you say that they made him do a five mile run the other day before breakfast!" 

When Alice huffed and grumbled for a second, Hermione thought that she had got away with changing the topic. Unfortunately it seemed that they had come up on an even more embarrassing one, "Have you always had problems with your period Hermione?" Mary asked curiously, casting a hesitant eye towards the boys who had now started up a conversation amongst themselves, although Hermione knew they were likely still listening.

She sighed, realising the can of worms she had just opened and decided to tell them the truth, "They used to be fine, but ever since the attack-" she swallowed deeply, remembering Bellatrix's cackles, "-they have been very irregular; sometimes not coming at all and sometimes sticking around for weeks, it's bloody annoying and always painful." 

"What do you mean?" Lily decided to ask the question they had all wanted to know the answer to, not used to being allowed an opening to talk about the circumstances surrounding how Hermione's 'family' had died.

"Well," Hermione began, regretting that she had opened her mouth in the first place as she stared hard at the grain of the table, "The cruciatus curse sort of messes with your internal organs after prolonged use, so it was a bit of a lottery what part of me would be messed up." 

Unsurprisingly, the girls had gone silent, but she was bolstered when she felt Lily's warm hand encircle her own and squeeze. She raised her eyes and once again locked eyes with Sirius who had apparently decided to rejoin the conversation at the worst possible time. For some reason, his eyes didn't hold the pity that she expected or that covered everyone else's, instead, it was an unbridled fury that met her.

"So Alice…" James cut in, clearly trying to drag the attention away from Hermione, "...I hear that you are in need of some personal training, may I suggest my good friend and myself?" He gestured between himself and Sirius, "After all, we will undoubtedly all be buddies in the training program next year." 

The girl rolled her eyes and began to trade insults with Lily's new boyfriend, "Purrrrlease! You just want to ensure that Lily will be watching to cheer me on when you're showing me how to work out. I would feel used if I didn't desperately need it." 

James's attempt at a diversion appeared to have worked considering how they had all begun to joke amongst themselves about the bizarre training sequences that the jokers would no doubt make her perform. Alice groaned as she realised what she had got herself into, whilst Hermione smiled, ignoring the odd looks that Sirius was still shooting her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 16: Protective Prats


	16. Protective Prats

Within seconds of leaving the girls at lunch to go to the Hospital Wing, Hermione was being dragged into a hidden corridor behind a portrait. Without looking up, she knew that she was surrounded by the Marauders.

"Um, hey there." She gulped, "Fancy meeting you guys around here…"

"Cut the bullshit. What do you know?" James was the first to speak.

"Calm down James, come on it's just Hermione!" Peter tried to wrestle in beside the two taller boys.

"I saw her face Peter, she knows, and that means that she can tell someone," Sirius ground out.

"Of course she doesn't know…" he began to argue.

"I have superhuman hearing, remember, I couldn't miss that little whimper of his name last night, and I'm sure James heard it as well." The other boy nodded, not taking his eye off of Hermione.

Annoyed by the extreme levels of male posturing, she was suddenly struck with how stupid they were acting. Say she had found out that Remus was a werewolf by the powers of deduction, there was absolutely no way that she would have known about the others' skills as animagi. Surely by accosting her in the hallways and talking about their intimate experiences of the night, they were just letting her know about their involvement as well.

Refraining from rolling her eyes at their obviousness, she gasped and flicked her eyes around the group, hoping her acting was decent. "You were there? How is that possible?" At this, the boys seemed to stop and step back, realising how much they had revealed.

"That doesn't matter right now, what we need to…"

She interrupted James with another fake gasp and had to hold back her smile at their uncomfortable looking faces, "Oh my God. You  _ were  _ there! How the hell did you hide the fact that you are animagi?" Realising that she was probably enjoying this a bit too much, she decided to just let herself have fun with them. 

"Whose clever idea was it to do that? Are you registered? Oh, who is who?" She continued with her stream of consciousness like they knew she would if she was not acting, "James, your patronus is a stag, that surely means that you were the reindeer, I wonder if I could fit on your back. Has Sirius ever ridden you before? I only saw two animals though, how did you manage that?" Breathing in deeply, she concentrated on making her glare turn deadly, "That means that it is one of your faults that I'm in so much pain. Which one of you prats barrelled me over last night then and ended up cracking my rib?"

The shocked silence that followed stretched on for a long moment before they all shouted at once.

"Reindeer?"

"I saved your life you ungrateful…"

"He cracked your rib?" 

The final question was squeaked out by Peter and he finally managed to push the other boys aside while they were arguing, clasping onto her arms so he could assess her for visible injuries. "Are you alright, bloody hell that must be painful! Sirius, you dick, you need to apologize, and lose some weight by the sound of it. Who knew that you were so heavy that you could crack a girl’s rib just from landing on top of her?" With this last comment, Hermione was happy to note the way that Peter smacked his friend in reprimand, obviously no longer preoccupied with keeping on his good side.

"Apologize? Did no one else notice the part of the evening where I saved her life, or was I just hallucinating? It's her stupid fault anyway for being out on a full moon by the Forest! And who are you calling fat? This is all pure muscle!" Sirius blurted out, pointing to his arms while he flexed, but James had obviously moved on.

"So now you unfortunately know what we are and how we know what happened, what we need to know now is how you know about Remus, and whether we need to obliviate you!" 

Hermione choked in a breath and stepped away from them, unprepared at the lengths they would go to for their friend. "Of course I bloody know, were you not listening last month when I told you about my friend? I know the symptoms so it's really not that difficult to spo…- oh would you stop grabbing onto me Sirius, I'm not going to run off!"

The boy stepped around her and instead of anchoring her down, decided to block off her means of escape, grinning when she rolled her eyes. "Do you really think something as insignificant as this would change my opinion of him? Personally, I'm offended that you would think I would tell, and I would have liked to see you try and obliviate me!"

Cowed slightly by her admonishment, that didn't stop Peter from asking quietly, "Where were you going then? The teachers either know or will be sworn to secrecy if you tell them, so he won't get kicked out." 

Hermione gaped at the person she had thought was swiftly becoming her friend but was clearly still openly distrustful of her, "You too? Do I have snitch or traitor written on my forehead or something? For your information, what I am doing is heading to the Hospital Wing so that Pomfrey won't throttle me for not taking my potions and so I can see the only person that retains the right to pass judgement on me. Now excuse me while I go and apologise for getting Remus into this mess with Greyback!"

Hermione pushed the trio apart before venturing towards the entrance to the hidden passageway, "You can escort me if you don't trust me enough to not run off to tell a teacher!" She threw this last comment over her shoulder before ducking out of their hiding place, stalking confidently away while they trailed behind.

By the time they made it to the infirmary, Hermione's temper had cooled, but it wasn't helped by an irate Nurse who immediately began to complain that she was late. Hermione just threw an accusatory glare at the Marauders before Madame Pomfrey began to chastise them for keeping her. She would feel sorry for them if they had not annoyed her recently.

While they were distracted she took the chance to find Remus's bed and sneak through the curtains surrounding it. She was turning from closing them behind her when she caught the surprised glance of the already awake occupant sitting up in the bed. "Good afternoon Remus, how are you feeling?" 

Obviously not knowing why she was here after not having talked to his friends yet, he started to look panicked, "It's a funny story actually, I was just heading out to go to my uncle’s funeral and I fell down the stairs, I feel so stupid but the…."

Hermione just smiled as he continued to ramble before placing her hand upon his own larger one, resting on the bedspread. "I know that isn't true, the reason I am here is to say thank you for saving my life."

If anything, he just looked more confused and panicked, "Save your life? How the hell did I do that?"

After finally getting away from the angry Nurse, the rest of the Marauders shuffled into the space around them, immediately quietened by the conscious state of their friend. "How are you feeling mate?" James began, noticing some dark bruising and scratches peeking out from the opening of Remus's pyjama shirt.

Looking back and forth between Hermione and his friends for a second, he squeaked out a reply, "Yes fine thanks." His eyes bulged as he kept pointing towards her with them, desperately questioning what had happened last night and why she was there.

Peter sighed and sat down on the other side of the bed from Hermione, "Remus, she knows," this was followed by a sharp inhale and his head whipped up to stare at her in fear, "She was on the grounds last night and got attacked by Greyback who was lurking in the Forbidden Forest for some reason."

Suddenly, Remus's face split into an expression of terror and compassion rolled into one, "Tell me you weren't bitten, Hermione!" 

At this, she clasped his hand more tightly and leaned closer, "No. It is thanks to you that I am still standing at all. You saved me."

A small cough could be heard from Sirius's direction as if he were about to cut in to say that it was mostly him, "Shut up Sirius." Hermione, Peter and James all quietened him at the same time.

Remus turned to James as he explained the activities of the rest of the night to him while Hermione sat stoically by his side. When James had finished talking, Remus sat back and stared at the hand that Hermione still clasped within her own, "How can you stand to touch me, you just found out that I'm a monster!"

"You're not a monster Remus, and I didn't just find out so I've had plenty of time to get used to it, not that I would need to."

"How the hell?"

"As soon as I saw how you were acting after the last full moon I knew what you were, and I can tell you now that no matter what, I will not treat you any different."

Remus gaped for a second or two before Hermione sought to lighten the mood slightly, "Ah, sorry about the comments about werewolves sex habits at dinner back then, but in hindsight it was actually quite funny."

Mollified that Hermione would not rat out or hurt their friend, the other 3 boys visibly relaxed and began to laugh, taking great pleasure in Remus's reddened cheeks. "It's good to know that Mary's up for some 'kinky werewolf sex' isn't it mate?" Sirius joked, whilst Remus shot an even more deadly look his way, seemingly more angry that his friend would reveal his crush on the girl, rather than his condition.

He turned back to Hermione to make sure that she was still there, "Are you sure you are okay with me then?" She nodded and he continued, "I would understand if you wanted to stop being friends, I wouldn't judge you at all." 

Hermione rolled her eyes at the predictable response, "What part of this do you not understand, you're stuck with me now." Continuing, she turned back to the rest of the group, "And if that means that I have to put up with the rest of you miserable lot then so be it." 

"Who are you calling miserable?"

In the clamour amongst the rest of the Marauders as they tossed friendly insults amongst themselves, Hermione almost missed the hushed whisper that the boy in the bed shot at her, "Do I want to know how you recognised Fenrir Greyback?" 

She stared deep into his eyes, resolving herself to let him come up with his own conclusions about the horrors she had seen, "No."

* * *

Throughout the rest of that day she split her time between ignoring pitying looks directed from the girls and asking the Marauders to come up with different excuses to let her sneak away to the Hospital Wing to get her potion top ups. It was at the end of her last visit before curfew that Hermione felt the weight of such a long and pain filled day take over her. After running so much last night and using up all of her energy from lying, she was ready to fall straight into her bed.

Dumbledore had sought her out earlier that day and had left her a note telling her that the aconite she had collected was with him. Thankful that her efforts hadn't been for nothing, she had quickly gone to collect it. At this opportunity, he had let her know that there would be an Order meeting tomorrow evening to address the development of Greyback watching the school.

Preoccupied by sorting through her jumbled thoughts, Hermione almost didn't notice the group of six Slytherin boys lurking in the next corridor. Unfortunately, they noticed her which meant that she couldn't just sneak away and take another route. Thanks to their looks of glee when she turned the corner, she surmised that they had been lying in wait for her.

"My, my, my, what do we have here then?" The cruellest and ugliest one at the front began, "It's the Mudblood in hiding."

Sure that she was witnessing a younger version of Avery, she fluttered her eyes across the rest of the group. Rookwood, Dolohov, and a boy she didn't recognize sneered back at her. She was hurt to see the two more familiar figures standing at the back of the group; where Snape's face was impassive, Regulus's looked very tense. Hermione resolved herself to ignore them or this might get too difficult.

"Can I help you?" She replied in a calm and quiet voice, hoping they might get bored of her and move on if she didn't respond in the way they wanted.

"What can we do for you, seems more apt, does it not?" Rookwood replied, "After all, you've already stolen that wand and someone else's magic, and now you've also managed to muscle your way into one of the most powerful families that are still around today. Who cares if he is still just a half-blood, muggle-loving fool?" Hermione's eyes flicked to Regulus, realising that he must have told them about what she had revealed to him.

"She'll be asking for the rest of our worldly goods next, and after that, she'll settle for our wives and daughters. Their greed never ends." Avery continued.

Stunned at their hypocrisy, her frustration got the better of her when she sarcastically replied, "That would be great actually, would you mind pointing me in the direction of the Slytherin girls dormitories?" 

They scowled when she dared to respond, already annoyed that she wasn't scared of them. As soon as Hermione noticed this she began to slowly inch her hand backwards towards her wand, knowing that she would have to let them win the altercation that was sure to follow. That didn't mean that she would let them off easily.

"Stupid girl. That wasn't an invitation." The unknown boy whined out in a nasally voice, clearly not aware of the use of sarcasm. She rolled her eyes before noticing that all of the boys already had their wands clasped in their hands. Even six underage Death Eater wannabes were a dangerous problem.

"Is this really necessary?" Snape drawled out, doing a very convincing impression of appearing nonchalant while checking his nails. "Why waste our time on her, she's not worth the effort." If Hermione hadn't recognised the slight tremor in his voice, then she would have been hurt at his attitude towards her; now she was only thankful that he had tried to intervene.

"Shut it," Avery replied, "You know our orders." Hermione used everything in her power to not raise her eyebrows at this stupid admission, "You're not getting a bit too close to you're assignment are you?" Ah. Maybe her friendship with Snape had been a little bit too good to be true then.

Snape scoffed and backed away from the scene, "Whatever, I'm going to bed." Their eyes followed him to the end of the corridor but Hermione listened out closely and noticed that his footsteps stopped just beyond the turn, where he was clearly waiting and listening.

Regulus's eyes flicked between Hermione and his house mate's and opened his mouth finally, "Maybe he's got a point..."

"What have I told you about winding your fucking neck in, Black?" The leader of the group cut in, "Dolohov hasn't shut up about this one for a while now and now you tell us she's a Mudblood. Seems a bit suspicious to me."

Hermione blanched when she turned to Dolohov, who was licking his lips, for some reason, staring at her hungrily. Shivering in disgust, she finally grasped her wand and stared pointedly at Regulus. Knowing that this would inevitably lead to a fight, she raised her wand to defend herself, which prompted the others to do the same. "It's not that I'm not flattered that you all seem to think about me so much, but I would prefer it if you didn't all talk over me as if I am not here." 

Her reply reverberated about the space, while the other boys started to chuckle, "I don't see much point in asking your opinion Mudblood, what's about to happen will occur whether you like it or not." Dolohov finally rasped out, "The only question is to what extent and for how long…"

"Yes, Dolohov," a clear voice suddenly rang out from the other end of the corridor that Snape had left from, "Do go on and describe how the five of you were too afraid to face a single witch." Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief as she turned to face Sirius and Alice, who had clearly just come back from their first training session together.

Regulus visibly stiffened while they sauntered closer, both already clasping their wands in their hands. "Would you like to continue now that the odds are a little bit more even?" Alice cut in, her eyes glinting with a look that Neville had developed in the last year at Hogwarts, when he refused to do as the Carrows asked. 

"Stay out of this Fortescue, we have no problem with you yet," Avery replied, his wand hand twitching upwards, "That is unless you want to create a problem. It wouldn't be worth harming someone like you, even if you are a blood traitor. Our offer still stands."

Alice's cold look was all the reply they needed, "Don't worry, Crouch has already let me know just how welcome I would be within your ranks, and I think I'll have to decline," At the tilt of the head she has made to the final boy, Hermione finally worked out his identity, surprised that this annoying child would one day become her teacher in disguise.

"Severus is right," Regulus snorted out after a short bout of silence, "These lot aren't worth the trouble, I'm going to bed." And with that, he headed off in the same direction that Snape had gone, ignoring the troubled look his brother sent him.

Now that the numbers on each side were looking a bit more even, Crouch and Rookwood began to look hesitant; it was obvious that they were the younger of the bunch. Avery noticed this and bristled at the smirk that spread across Sirius's face, lowering his wand. "You're lucky Mudblood, but I'd watch out from now on. You never know who you'll find wandering the halls at night these days." 

The evil grin that split his face turned her stomach, but Hermione was touched when Sirius raised his voice, his wand twitching, "Is that a threat Avery? Because I know plenty of curses that will make you regret the day that you were born!" 

The other boy scoffed and clasped his hand around Dolohov's forearm, who still hadn't moved his dark eyes off of Hermione's form, "Take it as you will, but we won't be giving you a chance to play at being an auror tonight, Black." He yanked at his friend and Dolohov finally looked away from her, turning to walk away, but taking the last second to have one last glimpse. 

Silence fell as the three students listened until the retreating Slytherins had walked out of earshot, before Hermione sighed in relief. Alice rushed forward to take a hold of Hermione's arm as she looked into her face, "Hermione, are you alright? Those boys are beastly, but we've all gained a tolerance to them, it must have been quite a shock to be threatened by them all at once. Thank goodness we decided to head to the hospital wing before bed, or this might have got ugly." 

Surprised by her friend's word vomit, Hermione was momentarily stunned to silence in order to get her response under control. "You need to be careful Dumbledore, it's asking for trouble to go explore the halls at night," Sirius began, raising his eyebrows, his expression still murderous. 

"Thanks guys, I was surprised they found me actually, but it seems to have gotten out that I'm not the perfect pureblood they expected me to be. Unfortunately, I think this might happen again." Hermione sighed again, but this time in resignation. 

"We'll make sure they know that you're not to be messed with." Alice reassured her and took her hand as they walked off towards the Gryffindor tower. Hermione couldn't help but feel warmed by the casual show of solidarity from the pair and took comfort in the warm hand that encompassed her own. 

"So was your first training session so arduous that you had to resort to pain potions then?" Hermione changed the subject so that they could talk and she could just listen, too exhausted to contribute. They did not disappoint, immediately beginning to argue about the extents that Sirius had pushed her, while all Hermione could do was think about the soft bed that was waiting for her back in the Gryffindor girls dormitories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 17: The End of her Tether


	17. The End of her Tether

_ "Silencio!" She cried and Dolohov's voice beneath his mask was extinguished, though he continued to mouth through the hole, emitting no sounds.  _

_ The other Death Eater thrust him aside and she watched him stagger backwards for a second. Harry's cry of "Petrificus Totalus!" momentarily distracted her while the other Death Eater was incapacitated. Even before Neville had begun to congratulate him, Hermione had directed her eyes to Dolohov and could see what was about to happen. _

_ The slashing arm movement and preceding purple flame that followed left Hermione speechless as it licked across her chest, leaving a trail of blinding pain in its wake. A small "Oh!" was all the sound that escaped her as she collapsed to the hard black floor, everything fading except the agonised scream of her name. _

_ Suddenly she gasped for breath and was transported to a moonlit clearing, all pain fading from her chest. Scrambling to her feet, Hermione looked around to witness the majestic form of none other than Buckbeak, standing in the exact spot that she had tied him to a tree in 3rd year. Before she could release an exclamation of shock, a twig snapped behind her and she whipped around, ending up looking into her own eyes. _

_ Thirteen year old Hermione Granger was in a right state. Looking like she had been dragged through a hedge backwards, sticks and clumps of mud were woven into her matted hair, though the most terrifying thing was the look of abject terror and despair that clouded her eyes. Releasing no sound other than a whimper, the child raised a shaking hand towards the other side of the clearing, a tear falling from her cheek. _

_ Although she had an inkling of what she would see if she turned, she did it anyway and was met with a sight that chilled her blood. Harry Potter was staring at her, non-seeing through glassy eyes, from his splayed position on the grassy floor. As Hermione took in the lifeless eyes, she noticed some splatters of blood appear from below. _

_ Unable to comprehend the death of her most beloved friend, Hermione hadn't noticed the figure that swamped him. It seemed that even the Boy Who Lived couldn't survive from getting his throat ripped out and feasted upon by a crazed werewolf. The hunched figure of Greyback shuddered and convulsed as it released groans and sighs while it enjoyed it's meal, causing Hermione to let out a pained sob. _

_ Clearly the wrong action at the time, the small cry alerted the creature before her and she could only watch as it's head snapped up, their eyes immediately meeting. As it slowly rose, uncaring for the trail of blood that still dripped from its mouth, Hermione turned her head and widened her stance, determined to protect the younger Hermione. _

_ She couldn't comprehend if she felt fear or relief when she realised the child and the hippogriff had mysteriously disappeared, but the only thing she was sure of was that she was completely alone. Resigned to the fact of her death, she turned back to the now standing figure before her, dropping her wand and splaying her palms outwards. _

_ Greyback seemed to take delight in her acceptance, and crouched down, smiling through his fanged teeth as he coiled himself to pounce. The matter of metres that stood between them proved no help when the werewolf suddenly leapt forward. It's gaping jaws widened and directed themselves towards her throat as she closed her eyes. _

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Hermione screamed, conscious that her throat already felt raw from another fitful night. As usual, her mind came back to her body all at once and she was left to scramble up the bed, flailing limbs trembling in shock. Overly aware of the sting in her left forearm that she always scratched raw when she had a particularly bad nightmare, she cradled it to her chest as the tears began to fall.

Sobs wracked her body as she tried to come to terms with what she had just seen. It was often that she saw friends and family member's die gruesome deaths, but death by werewolf was a new one. The sight of the very boy that all her efforts had been for, lying covered in pools of his own blood seemed to be tattooed on the insides of her eyelids. There was absolutely no way that she was getting back to sleep tonight.

As she slowly calmed herself, she thought over the previous day and how certain things had triggered her nightmares. When she had faced Dolohov in Defence, she had relived the night in the Department of Mysteries so it was no surprise that it had resurfaced again. However, the way that her altercation with Greyback had twisted her memories into such a vile picture made her want to wash her eyes out, just to get the image out of her head.

When she finally stopped weeping, she drew her knees up to her chest and just sat in silence, but she soon realised that it wasn't as quiet as it was meant to be. For every night since September, Hermione had been silencing the curtains around her bed to make sure that no one heard her, and had therefore grown used to just the sound of her own breathing. But as she now listened, she noticed that the blissful quiet had been marred by the squeak of bedsprings and a few hushed whispers.

Dreading the inevitable conversation that would follow, Hermione croaked out, "Guys, I know that you're listening." The sound of bare feet hitting the floor and rapidly approaching her bed was quickly drowned out when the curtains surrounding her were whipped aside and she found herself staring into the surprised face of Mary. 

"What's wrong, why were you screaming?" She immediately asked, perching on the edge of Hermione's bunk. Before she answered, Hermione looked out across the other beds and into the faces of everyone else in the dorm, each in various states of disarray, bodies falling out of their bed hangings. She couldn't stand the looks that filled all of their faces.

"It's nothing really," Hermione sighed in admission, not daring to look up at them, "I just get nightmares now and again." 

"Babe that's some intense nightmare right there," Marlene called from two beds over, the rags she put in her hair to attempt to curl it falling out when she shook her head.

"Has it happened before?" Alice added, her brow crinkled with the same frown that her son would exhibit when he thought that one of his friends was hurt. 

Hermione couldn't help the snort that escaped her, "You could say that, yes," she mumbled and Mary's hand shot out to clasp her own at her quiet admission.

Lily coughed and sat up, "Last week I attempted to wake you after lights out to talk about the homework but your curtains were charmed quite strongly and silenced." The girl paused for a second, "Does this happen every night?"

When Hermione met her eyes and didn't reply, the other girls gasped, "Why didn't you say? We could have helped you!"

Another dark chuckle came from Hermione, "Sorry girls, but this has been happening for months, and as much as I admire your willingness to help, I doubt much can be done really." At the defeat that seeped into her tone, she looked down, a traitorous tear falling down her cheek, shocked that she had so easily revealed the fear that had plagued her recently.

Marlene soon came to join her and approached the bed from the other side, cocooning Hermione into a hug, "Have you talked to a teacher or got some Dreamless Sleep? You know that Pomfrey won't ask what it's for if you don't want to tell her."

Sinking gratefully into the blondes embrace, Hermione squeezed Mary's hand as she forced a watery smile, "Thanks, but I don't want to get addicted to that stuff, especially when we have exams coming up."

Unsurprisingly, Mary rolled her eyes, "It's just like you to think of your grades at a time like this, but you can't take any exams if you are falling apart from exhaustion."

By this point, Alice had donned her dressing gown and was also standing over the bed, "Sorry Hermione, but we've all noticed how tired you are all of the time, maybe you should talk about it with someone. You know that we would all listen if you want that, or a teacher or Aberforth?"

Touched by their looks of compassion and calming tones, Hermione released her first genuine smile, looking at each of them in turn, "I appreciate the offer, but I think I have to do this alone, I'm sorry that I woke you all," she sniffed as she looked around for her wand, "I'll make sure to double check the charms next time, I must have forgotten because I was so tired last night."

In the movement she made to reach under her pillow for her wand, a shaft of light from the window struck her arm where her pyjamas had ridden upwards, displaying the red skin. Unable to stop the movement without drawing their eyes, she continued, but not before Mary had noticed. The normally quiet girl moved closer to her, and released a high pitched squeal when she reached forward to take her forearm into her hand again. 

"What is  _ that _ ?" She choked out, none too kindly after the surprise of the reveal. Thanks to her exclamation, the other girls' attentions were suddenly all drawn to the length of her forearm where the ugly slur was etched into her skin. To her horror, Alice murmured "Lumos," before she could wrench her hand away, and the rest of her friends were left to look upon the scar that she had tried so hard to hide from them. 

Surprisingly there were no gasps and groans, and instead she was met with a stony silence while Lily finally got out of her bed to get a closer look. Ignoring the others, she raised her eyes to the red head, who was the only one who could really understand what she was feeling. The glistening green eyes that met her were all the indication she needed that the scar had had the desired effect.

Alice, the room's only pureblood, recoiled and uttered out, "What monster would do that to you!" 

Mary and Marlene, as half-bloods, also looked appalled, "Is that a permanent scar? Why would someone do that to you?"

Lily scoffed, and tightened her hold around Hermione's wrist, "Why do you think they did it? For the same reason that they have been throwing the word in my face for the past 6 years, because they think it is true and believe that we deserve it." Her face was slowly becoming the same colour as her hair as she continued on her impassioned tirade, "It is disgusting, but I didn't know that it could get this bad! Hermione, you need to tell someone, we can't let whoever did this get away with it."

Yet again, Hermione was amazed at how these girls could so suddenly become so protective of her when they had only known her for a few months, "Yes it's permanent Marlene, unfortunately the witch who did this to me used a cursed blade so I can't get rid of the scar. But don't worry though, I'll make sure that she gets what's coming to her, she can't be allowed to terrorise anyone else." 

The dark look of dangerous intent that passed across her face must have been evidence enough that she didn't want to talk about it, and so the other girls backed off slightly, although Lily remained. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Mary's kind voice continued to ask, "If not with the scar, then with the nightmares?" 

Before Hermione could open her mouth, Marlene gasped and ran across her room to fish a scrap of fabric out of her suitcase, "Can I at least give you this to wear around your arm at night to stop you scratching at your scar," Hermione grimaced at the offensively bright leg warmer that she had been handed, dreading the days when they would eventually become popular, "I got it from my cousin for Christmas, they're charmed to not fall down." 

Softened by the hopeful look in her eye, Hermione agreed and slipped the offensive garment on, glad when it refused to budge when prodded at. Staring teary eyed at the rest of the group, she thanked them all before they began to move back to their beds, "You don't have to keep silencing yourself by the way," Alice continued, "I can promise you that we will always be free to talk about it as well." Hermione smiled, knowing that she would follow neither of those suggestions and turned to the only remaining girl in her bed.

Lily was very quiet as she very quietly and softly traced her fingertip around the puckered lines that made up the word 'Mudblood' on Hermione's arm. The leg warmer had been moved so that she could see it properly, and Lily had taken the chance while Hermione was distracted to find some sort of soothing paste to spread over the inflamed skin. It wasn't until the other girls had all closed the curtains around their beds and quietened until she began to talk.

"When I first became a witch I was amazed at all the opportunities that were suddenly available. I mean, isn't it amazing to think you know everything at the age of 11 and then find out that there's this whole other world that's waiting to welcome you with open arms. I don't know about you, but to me it felt like I had finally worked out what this missing piece inside of me was, and had the chance to feel whole at last." 

Hermione sniffed and quietly agreed, knowing that the other girls were still listening. It was amazing how much her experiences were similar to that of Harry's mum, and it left her wondering if it was the same for all muggleborns.

"It was like I was walking into a fairy tale to walk through the doors of Hogwarts for the first time, and I finally felt at peace." Lily sighed before continuing her story, "I didn't really know what Mudblood meant until my second year, but I always remember hearing it when I walked down hallways or did well in class. When I finally worked it out, I was heartbroken that this was how everyone saw me. Now apparently everything I did well or badly could be ultimately boiled down to some accident at birth.

People would say that I had 'done well for a Mudblood' or excuse my mistakes, not expecting much of me, and I suddenly realised that no matter how hard I worked, I would never really escape it." Lily raised her eyes to Hermione, the familiar green eyes were wide open, baring her soul to the other girl, "When we are accepted into one world, you can't help but be pushed out of the other, and when I found out that I wouldn't be fully accepted in either, it broke my heart." 

The redhead gulped down a lump in her throat as a tear snaked down her cheek, "My own sister will no longer talk to me, and my best friend dismissed me all because of something that I have entirely no control over, and I am sick of people who think they know us to be beneath them." Hermione squeezed her hand as she let the girl vent the troubles that Hermione had also experienced for so long, "And now apparently, the same people who dismiss us as useless savages are claiming that we are becoming a problem that needs to be eradicated. I mean honestly, the hypocrisy would be laughable if it wasn't so terrifying!" 

They both agreed with a watery chuckle before she continued "As terrible as it sounds, I'm glad you are here, even if this was the reason you arrived," Lily stroked her hand down the word on Hermione's arm, "It is revolting that people would feel the need or even take pleasure out of doing this to a person, but at least now I know the lengths that they will go to." 

As her monologue drew to a close, she again met Hermione's gaze, "I know you don't want to go into details about what happened, and I don't expect you to, but I understand that you lost your family and many of your friends," Hermione remained absolutely still as she took in what the other witch was saying, "But I want you to know that if you ever need someone to spend the day with, in either of our world's, I will be there, as your friend or even your sister if you need me. Our predicament is unique and I know that only another fellow muggleborn could possibly understand, so I hope that you would be there for me as I would be for you."

When silence finally fell, Hermione could do nothing more than bleat out a strangled "Of course!" before collapsing into the other witches arms, crying and repeatedly thanking the girl. Before long the other witch joined her, both terrified at what this war could bring for them, but glad to no longer be alone in the face of it anymore. 

While their breathing quietened, Hermione couldn't help but relax into the bed and pull the other girl downwards, still tightly wound together. For the past couple of months it had been agony to look into the eyes of her best friend on another woman and see a stranger looking back at her. This meant that the thought that she had finally gained Harry's mum's support and friendship felt like a burden had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Lying in her dorm as it began to lighten, with her new slumbering friend at her side, Hermione Granger felt glad that she had finally become more comfortable with these people. Immensely grateful that they had accepted her into their circle, trusting her with their secrets, and standing in her corner when her own problems got too much for her.

* * *

When the rest of her dorm had finally woken up again, Hermione was long gone; already running yet another circle around the Quidditch pitch. Marlene joined her like usual, but contented herself to run in silence while Hermione dragged her still beaten and exhausted body along behind her.

It's safe to say that her day went downhill from there. Whatever direction she turned, she was met with either more pitying looks from the girls, the boys attempting to be chummier than before now that she knew their secret, and also dark looks from various Slytherins. By the time that dinner had finally finished, Hermione was ready to yell to all and sundry to just leave her alone.

What made the experience all the more painful was the constant sight of Halloween decorations that popped up everywhere, reminding her of the anniversary of the end of the first wizarding war. After watching her best friend collapse in on himself on this day every year for the past 7 years, the melancholy had rubbed off onto Hermione. Furthermore, the sight of James and Lily shyly brushing against each other, as new couples do, made Hermione's stomach turn when she considered precisely where they would be in 4 years time.

Unfortunately, she knew that she had an Order meeting that night so she soon found herself distracting her friends yet again in order to sneak off and use the floo in McGonagall's office during the Halloween feast. Given the reactions of those people who met her on the other side, Hermione could only assume that her face promised death to anyone that dared annoy her. 

Finally slumping into her usual chair on the outskirts of the room, she at last was able to get a moment of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, the Prewett twins did not seem to have got the memo that she was not up for socialising and so they promptly ended up sinking into the chairs on either side of her.

"Hello darling, what's got your wand in a knot?" the one on her right began before the other one continued, "You know if you wanted to get our attention you could have just called for us, you didn't have to storm in here in a strop."

The glare that she sent their way could have scared even the most seasoned aurora, but it seemed to only incense the jokers further. "Ooooh Gideon look, she's flirting with her eyes, I always knew that she liked me better!"

Before his twin could reply, Hermione was mercifully saved by the man that she was beginning to see as a sort of brother figure, "Calm down boys, we all know that none of us are good enough for her."

Even though she had been having a terrible day, Hermione couldn't help the wide grin that soon grew across her face as she jumped up to embrace Benjy. "How are you sweetheart?" He whispered in her ear before leaning back to take in her face, "Still breaking hearts I see…"

The scoff that escaped made her blush but she knew that he had heard it thanks to his quiet chuckle, "Is Aberforth here yet? I knew I shouldn't have left him alone with you each week in between my shifts. In all the messages I receive from him, he always seems to get steadily grumpier and grumpier." 

Benjy released a mock gasp and clutched at his heart, "You couldn't possibly be suggesting that I'm the cause of his grouchiness, could you? I'm a joy to be with, so it must be your absence that pisses him off." At her raised eyebrow he sighed and caught his eyes on a figure behind her, "Don't worry, he's coming over now."

Hermione barely got the chance to turn before she was enveloped in the arms of the specified man, in a very odd public display of affection. Smiling benignly, she accepted the hug from the older man and eventually stepped back to look into his worried eyes, "Albus told me you were attacked by Greyback, why didn't you write to me about it?" 

Surprised by the fatherly worry that he exhibited rather than the grumpy exterior he usually presented, Hermione quickly apologised and assuaged his fears. "Sorry, I must have forgotten after all of the bother, not that I would have had much space in the book anyway. If you keep having to ask for help with the crossword then we're going to need a new pair for Christmas!" 

He huffed out a mumbled comment about rude teenagers before reprimanding her, "Well I hope there won't be a next time, but knowing you, there probably will be. When that happens, let me know as soon as possible and if you can't do that make one of your insufferable friends do it. Just not Black, anyone but Black, that smarmy bastard." 

She chuckled at his assessment of her friends, already fully aware and amused by the long drawn out rivalry between the man and her curly haired friend. In the remaining minutes before the meeting began she beckoned Aberforth over to sit with her, shooing away the Prewett's. After repeatedly reassuring him that her cracked rib was healing nicely, she proceeded to tell him about the evening in question, ignoring the room filling up around them.

As soon as the other Dumbledore brother strode confidently out of the fireplace and the room hushed, Hermione's black mood returned, causing her to look at the man with a growing anger. After the preliminary welcomes and catch ups for ongoing projects, they swiftly moved onto the reason they had all been gathered together.

"Two nights ago, we became aware that Hogwarts is being watched and that Fenrir Greyback had breached the wards to enter the forest in werewolf form." Dumbledore's announcement was met with a burst of gasps and murmurs for how this could have happened, "Unfortunately, I can reveal that this was due to an oversight on my part regarding the wards that pass through the forest and their rules for allowing the free roam of the animals that dwell there. This oversight meant that Greyback could enter on a full moon without me being alerted, and we believe has been stationed there for a month in order to watch the goings on in the school. Rest assured though, that the wards have now been strengthened."

A number of parents of the group seemed to visibly relax but Hermione couldn't help but smile at the derisive snort that her own adoptive father released at this speech. Almost like he had heard it, Albus looked up at the pair and narrowed his eyes, "Our members stationed in Hogsmeade have also noticed increased activity outside the school recently. Fenwick, Aberforth, care to elaborate?" 

When all that Albus received was another stoic look, Benjy leapt to his feet and began to rattle out the numbers of suspicious people that had been seen in the Hog's Head and surrounding area, "Furthermore," he finished eagerly, "we have reason to believe that there is some sort of recruiting cell within the staff or student body actually in the school." 

Hermione all but rolled her eyes when some people still looked surprised. What did they think was happening at Hogwarts? They were at war, and with the increased numbers of alumni turning to the dark arts, it was pretty damn obvious that someone in the school was spreading the word.

Realising that everyone was suddenly looking at her, Hermione blushed and looked questioningly towards their leader. "I said, have you noticed any strange behaviour Miss Dumbledore?" Albus reiterated, a slight glint of frustration shining out of his usually emotionless eyes.

Glad that she wasn't the only one with ruffled feathers, Hermione began to rattle off the list of names she had memorised of students she knew would one day become affiliated with the Death Eaters. As she continued, she couldn't help but notice the increasingly dubious looks of other people around the room, "They're all the students I know off, though I haven't really been watching the teachers. I believe that is more your domain,  _ Headmaster _ ."

Albus stared down at her yet again, obviously not enjoying her tone," Anything else to add Hermione? Any thoughts or feelings, remembered anything actually useful?" 

She narrowed her eyes towards the older man, not quite believing that he was trying to wrestle information out of her in front of a crowd so that she couldn't just escape or rudely shoot him down. "Albus, I'm not sure what you're implying…?" She feigned ignorance when a number of people watching began to look curiously between the pair.

"It's just that I was under the impression that you had some information to reveal to me when you joined us, and yet here you are 6 months later with nothing to show for it." Albus bit out, surprising more than just Hermione with his rude address and at his rare reveal of feelings.

Trying as hard as possible to reign in the frustration that had been brewing within her all day, she responded, "Sorry  _ Sir _ , but I have revealed as much as I believe would be useful for you to know, if you are not happy with that, then we may need to reassess our terms."

By this point, the entire room was focussed on the strange battle of wills between them, amazed that Hermione would talk that way to the man they all trusted so much. "Surely if you revealed more of what you are feeling then I would be able to assess the most useful use of our resources."

At the way that her headmaster continued to talk down to her and hint at using the same tactics of withholding evidence that had been their downfall in the future, Hermione snapped. "Do you really want to know what I feel, Headmaster?" She ground out, not taking her eyes off of Albus's pearly depths, noticing the slight widening of surprise that his plan had worked.

"When I walk across this room I feel like I'm walking across a graveyard." She paused slightly to swallow, "In five years time 50% of this room will be dead and another 25% will be missing or incapacitated. And do you want to know why?" A pin drop could have been heard in the silence that followed, "Those resources you speak of are the lives of those around you, who you ultimately see as expendable. I know how you work. If I tell you everything I know then you will hide yourself away in your war room and cart us all around to be killed for your cause. All of us unknowing of the entire picture and why exactly we died.

I hope I don't need to remind you again, but I never want to see that world again!"

In the long drawn out silence that followed her announcement, Hermione didn't take her eyes off of the man before her. The idea of the man she had admired and trusted throughout her childhood was shattered as she took in the flawed human before her. Before she gave up, it surprised her to see Dumbledore break their stare first, looking down at his notes to collect himself.

"Thank you for your assessment Hermione, but I hope you're not naïve enough to believe that this war will be run on your terms and with no one else's input. We are a team here, with no individual greater in importance to another."

Hermione was sure that her grinding teeth could be heard in even the furthest corner of the castle room, "Pot calling the Kettle black?" She snorted out, "You must be blind to your own hypocrisy if you believe that to actually be true. From the moment I set foot in this room I have either been looked down upon either because I am too young, a woman, or because I am muggleborn.

You may all claim to fight for the plight of the downtrodden but at the end of the day, the majority of the people in this room are older purebloods and half-bloods, still clinging onto the beliefs of those before you. I understand the importance of upholding traditions, whether they are pureblood or Muggle, but from the way you all act towards me it's like you're horrified that I don't know your customs, but also don't try to learn mine. No offense, but you don't know how it feels to be constantly undermined because of something as ridiculous as your blood!" 

At this point she turned to run her eyes across the rest of the room, finally falling on the silenced play pen of Weasley children in the corner. "You're shocked that your children could be targeted, but we are at war." Her stomach twisted as she looked up and into Mrs Weasley's pale face, "This isn't some problem that will disappear overnight, and they are the ones that will end up fighting for this war the longest," her voice cracked as she looked at the floor, unable to keep eye contact while thinking of Fred's lifeless corpse, "And will ultimately die for it in the end."

As she had finished her rant, Hermione released a huge breath as she realised what she had just done. Not only had she revealed sensitive information about herself to a room full of people, but she had also talked down to them as if they were children. The main reason that she had been allowed into this room was because of her secret connection to Dumbledore and yet here she was, publicly dismissing him in front of his peers. 

Furthermore, she knew that everyone within this room had earned their place there, and yet she had just let out her frustrations on them all, calling them hypocrites and telling them they would all die. Not that what she had said was incorrect, but she probably shouldn't have told them in that way…

Thinking back on the precise wording that she had used, she also realised that she had pretty much revealed what she was, or at least made them think that she was a Seer. This was such a stupid idea considering that she trusted very few people in the room and knew that they could gain a mole at any time.  _ When I get my hands on Dumbledore alone, I'll make him regret pushing me this far in public!  _ A dangerous voice shouted out from within her mind.

In the heavy silence, she took solace in the weather-beaten hand of Aberforth who had reached over to clasp her own, "I'm sorry," Hermione choked out to the stunned room, knowing they deserved it, "I was incredibly rude to you all when you have been so hospitable to me, and it was not my place to do so." She swallowed deeply as she looked towards the younger people in the room who had accepted her so readily and was glad to see them smiling at her, if not also looking very confused about what she had revealed.

"But I know that the war is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, every young person like me knows that," she looked directly at the Potter's while she remembered how angry they had all originally felt when they hadn't been allowed into the Order in the 90s, "We are not stupid and definitely not useless, so please don't dismiss us." Realising she had stood at some point during her apology, she turned towards Dumbledore, "I know what you want from me, but it hurts too much to reveal everything at once, and it certainly won't help you to be overwhelmed, so I promise to tell you everything that regards the safety of anyone here."

Somehow realising that this would be the best deal that he could get, Dumbledore nodded quietly before ending the meeting and immediately rushing off out of the fireplace. Hermione took this time to sink back into her chair and leaned into Aberforth, "Was that really bad?" She mumbled out, digging her face into his shoulder so that she wouldn't have to look at all the people staring at her while they left, "He was just pissing me off so I snapped, I didn't mean to reveal so much!"

To her immense surprise, Aberforth's torso began to shake as he rumbled out some throaty chuckles, "No matter what anyone else says to you Hermione, just know that what you just did made me incredibly proud of you." Her shocked face and wide open eyes only seemed to make him laugh harder, "It's about time that someone put my brother in his place, what does it matter if you already insulted a bunch of stuck up purebloods as well? Someone needed to say it!"

Greatly appreciating that she had someone in her corner, Hermione took the opportunity to sink backwards and relax, taking in the much emptied room. This quickly ended when Benjy joined them, indicating that McGonagall was still talking to someone so they still had some time before Hermione had to leave. When Hermione turned her head back to the older boy she could see that he was looking very uncomfortable.

"So does this mean you're a Seer then or just very intuitive?" Hermione's eyes widened at the direct question and stuttered slightly as she tried to come up with an excuse.

"Something like that," she finally admitted, "But it's very Hush Hush because it's so dangerous so please don't tell anyone!" She begged, hoping that it wouldn't change his opinion of her.

Luckily he seemed to only get more excited, "That's so cool, I know a Seer! Does this mean that you can tell me the results to the next couple of Quidditch matches, you see, I have an ongoing bet with Meadows that…"

Hermione's brain faded him out as she smiled, noticing McGonagall had finished her conversation and was waiting for her. "Never change Benjy!" She laughed out as she kissed his and Aberforth's cheeks and strolled away, though just before she was out of earshot she felt a sharp tug as Benjy pulled her around, his face serious again.

"Just so you know Hermione, I would never tell anyone that you don't want me to, no matter the secret. So don't worry, I'll take it to my grave." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven't heard of it before, 'Pot calling the kettle black' is an idiom which means “to criticize someone for a fault you also possess.” Originates from when both pots and kettles were made from cast iron, which acquires streaks of black smoke when heated over a flame.
> 
> Up next is Chapter 18: A Crack in her Defences


	18. A Crack in her Defences

For the next two weeks Hermione concentrated on keeping her head down and drawing as little attention as possible towards herself. Embarrassed by all that she had revealed at the Order meeting and with the way that she had conducted herself, she could barely meet the eyes of any other teacher's that were present. However, she also thought that she kept seeing large smiles break out across McGonagall's face when she continued handing back perfect homework assignments. 

Both the girls and the boys calmed down with the special ways that they had tried to treat her when they saw that it was making her uncomfortable, and they were now all back to their old routines, albeit she did feel closer to them all. Unsurprisingly, she didn't change her habits regarding her nightmares, whether it was sound proofing the bed or talking about it. The girl's didn't comment on them again, but she always felt their lingering looks boring into her before bed and when they saw each other the next morning.

The only noticeable change was with her study periods with Snape and Regulus, which had pretty much grinded to a halt. Although she was angry at them for obviously spying on her, using her, and then ultimately telling on her, she couldn't help but miss the time they spent together. What also didn't help was the niggling suspicion at the back of Hermione's mind that she was developing the slightest crush on the elder of the pair.

This all came to a head one particularly chilly afternoon in mid November, when she encountered them in an empty corridor after leaving the library. By the looks on both of their faces, it appeared that they had been intending to trap her to talk to her, though Regulus didn't look particularly happy about it. With nothing other than a raised eyebrow, Snape nodded in greeting and gestured towards an empty classroom, wordlessly communicating what he wanted her to do.

Once the door had clicked shut, Hermione heard Snape silence the room and she turned around, "Come to gloat?" She began, throwing the phrase that he had used back into Severus's face, "Or did you get another assignment to spy on me?" The harsh tone with which she used left no room for disagreement, especially when paired with her raised brow.

Unfortunately, Severus did not seem fazed, "For your information Hermione, I only got asked to keep an eye on you after we had begun to talk to one another. Even if they think I'm only doing it to spy on you, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy it."

Hermione scoffed and turned to Regulus, "And what about you then? I know that Severus has known of my blood status for a while now, but the second you're given a bone, you can't help but run along to tell the big boys?"

Offended at the way she had talked down to him, Regulus's glare turned deadly, "Don't pretend that you could have kept it a secret for much longer, I was really doing you a favour by telling them now rather than down the line. That would have been much worse."

"A favour?" She gasped out, incredulous to his thought process, "Do you not understand what you have done? Just so that you could show off to your 'friends', you have stabbed me in the back. Now I have a huge target on my head, and although you're too stupid to understand how hard it is to be a muggleborn at the moment, I still know that you did it to get back at me!"

Seemingly overcome by anger at all the accusations she had made, Regulus stumbled over his words, his hands clenched into fists by his side, "It's not my fault that you're not exactly hiding it," he began petulantly, "And why would I ever feel loyalty towards you over them, they've been with me forever, I've known you for what? 2 months, and you suddenly expect blind loyalty? You're decent to be around and your notes are good, but they're not that great!"

" _ They _ ?" Hermione bit back, her voice rising, "Do you mean those snivelling cowards that accosted me in the hallway the other week? They are not your friends. Can't you see that you are nothing more than a tool to them, a method of which to secure their positions through your money and title?" She laughed darkly yet again, "No wonder you betrayed me, when you're so unused to the concept of proper friendship!"

In the blink of an eye, Regulus was towering over her, his pin straight, immaculately kept, black hair falling around her face, "You have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know what I expected, but you're right, I have been stupid. How could a filthy little Mudblood possibly understand the intricacies of my life?" He stepped back and took a hold of his fallen bag, getting ready to leave, "Do whatever you want Severus, just don't forget to wash your hands after handling her notes, you never know what you might catch!" And with that, he was gone.

To her surprise, when Hermione turned back to look at Severus she actually found him smirking, "You really didn't need to antagonise him like that, he had made his mind up about you even before he entered the room." He chuckled again and looked at his feet, "Thanks for pointing out some harsh truths though, the weird sense of hero worship he reserves for them was starting to get annoying."

She huffed out a breath, finally quieting her voice, "I didn't do it for him, and I certainly didn't do it for you. Anyway, you're just as bad, if not worse. You know they're all self-serving bastards and the implications of your actions, and yet you're still doing it anyway. Did you think that it's admirable to trail after them, because I can tell you now, you both look pathetic."

Effectively killing his teasing mood, Hermione's analysis of his character caused his brow to crease, "You're not a Slytherin Dumbledore, you don't know how the politics of our house pan out. What I'm doing is important, especially if I'm going to make friends with someone like you."

"Oh so we're friends again? I thought I was just your pet project?"

Snape rolled his eyes at her stubbornness, "I thought we had been over this. Yes, I was told to spy on you, and yes, I will continue to do so, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

She laughed again, "Sorry, but I think I might pass on the chance to be friends with someone who will intentionally spill my secrets. How much fun would it be to spend time with you when I always have to watch what I say?" 

Severus's look turned patronising, "Well I'm obviously not going to tell them anything useful. Were you not paying attention when I explained the complex politics of my house?" Hermione blinked, "I'd be stupid to trust them more than you, and you are much better company than all of them, so at the moment I'll stick with you. That doesn't mean that I won't play both sides of the game though."

Unable to stop the polite tendencies that had been drilled into her since she was a child, Hermione choked out a quiet, "Thanks," before shaking her head, "No, I'm not going to thank you for doing something that is expected of you anyway." She stopped when she realised how much like her mother she sounded like, "Anyway that's beside the point, how do I know that you're not going to change your mind?"

Snape's face suddenly seemed to close off, "I think we both know that it would be more beneficial to be friends with you, so that I can get closer to someone else."

Now Hermione's jealous mind was stuck on a whole different issue, and she moved to stand closer to the other boy, raising her voice again, "Are you taking the piss? The whole reason you became friends with me was so that you could get close to and hear about Lily Evans?"

His eyes looked pained for a second, "Let's not pretend that you didn't already know this, it was pretty much the driving point for you reaching out to me in that hidden passageway." Shaking his head, he pinched his nose in between his eyes like he was nursing a headache, "Also, don't you now see the power you hold? I can't tell the other Slytherins anything without you say so, because I know the alternative would be you going to Lily and dragging my name in the mud."

Hermione paused for a second while she took this in, surprised that he would reveal this weakness so willingly. As she calmed, she came to the conclusion that he must have done it intentionally in order to make her see that he wasn't a threat. Was it possible that she could actually find a real friend in the boy? Although she had been suppressing it for months in favour of Harry and Ron, she couldn't help but enjoy the time they spent together. Often finding herself feeling much more comfortable and at ease in his presence than with others.

Preoccupied with coming to terms with her innate feeling of trust she found with the man, she almost missed the small voice when it added, "Furthermore, I know that you care too much about your NEWTs to turn down the chance of my Potions tutoring."

Laughing much more hospitably this time around, Hermione joked back, "Don't lie, we both know that you'd be getting much more out of the deal." They both smiled at each other and Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that they had made up again. It had been exhausting these past weeks without the quiet solidarity he offered in their evenings in the library and without his dry humour that she couldn't help but laugh at.

Severus still looked concerned, "So we're good then?" He breathed out in relief when she nodded quietly, moving past her to pick up her bag and pass it to her, ready to leave, "Thank Merlin, my hair was starting to get unmanageable again and I was hoping that you'd have another go at taming it!"

Hermione scoffed and grumbled, "Well lucky me, I still have a sarcastic friend to deal with in the end. At least you have some redeeming factors in the sense that you're a decent study partner." Just as Snape turned to open the door for her, she unthinkingly added, "You'd think that the fabled Half-Blood Prince would be able to do his own grooming charms, but it looks like that job will fall to me, yet again."

Before she could really think about the slight she had made against him, his whole body tensed and she absently noticed that his knuckles turned white where they were gripping the door handle. Confused as to what had caused such a complete change in demeanour, Hermione reached forward to tap on his shoulder. "Sev…" she began, before she was being pushed backwards and slammed into the nearest wall, his hand clutched around her throat.

"Where did you hear that name!" He snarled out, and Hermione knew that she had made a terrible mistake. His dark eyes were no longer teasing and she almost wished that she would see the mask he often put up instead of the unbridled fury that met her. Unable to speak for the shock of the moment, she just stared up at him as the hand holding onto her clenched tighter.

"The only person that knows that name is now dead and you weren't even in the country before she died so you have some explaining to do!" Before she could even begin to choke out an answer, it seemed that Snape wasn't feeling very patient today because she quickly began to feel wispy tendrils enter her mind. Her eyes widened in alarm at his use of legilimency and she attempted to raise what little walls she had tried to work on in the past.

Unsurprisingly, when Harry first told Hermione about the lessons that he would have to take with Professor Snape in 5th year, she began to research. That research led to Hermione nagging Harry at every chance she got, but also meant that she also began to experiment herself. Unfortunately for her, she never had the chance to try this out while someone who knew legilimency, and for it to be thrown at her out of the blue completely threw her off.

There were three main methods of occlumency, which were often used separately, but we're more effective to be used altogether. The first was to create and maintain a solid wall around all of her memories, in an attempt to not let anything out. Although this was the easiest technique to learn, it did mean that it was the easiest to break and therefore, the hardest to maintain under duress. If someone got through a crack in her defences, then they would be able to rip right through all of your thoughts, viewing anything at pleasure.

The second method entailed sorting through your memories as to present the harmless ones only, in order to throw the person viewing them off of the scent. The only issue with this method was that it's very hard not to think of the thing you are trying to hide while someone is searching for it through your memories. With this being the most duplicitous of the methods in order for the legilimens to not know that you are hiding anything at all, she had no doubt that Snape was very familiar with it.

Finally, the last method was to fashion a small prison within your mind and then shove the memories you want to keep secret in there. After that, all you would have to do is layer up all of your protection around it, proving to be much stronger than if you try to encase all of your memories like with the first technique. However, the issue with this is that it is very easy to find the box in a mind someone is invading, and therefore the legilimens will know that you are hiding something and will focus all of their attention on that specific place. 

To combine the three techniques would give the occlumens the chance to demonstrate a range of red herrings and diversions that could make the legilimens think that they had found what they were looking for when really they had barely scraped the surface. Hermione had even read about accomplished occlumens' making multiple prisms and hiding the other ones further so that the invader will focus their attention on the first alone, and not bother with the rest.

All of this theory immediately left Hermione's brain as soon as she felt Severus's fingers begin to stab into her mind, shattering the feeble wall she had hastily erected. Given what they had been discussing and the position they were currently in, the thoughts at the top of Hermione's consciousness were all centred around Snape. She felt embarrassment creep up to her face while he watched the scene in the library from her perspective, no doubt releasing her attraction for him.

For some reason, this seemed to shock him and he bounced away, following one thought to another down the thin threads that connected them. As he progressed backwards in her timeline she panicked when he reached the first potion lesson, knowing what was coming next. Unsurprisingly, it was this panic which brought the memory to the forefront of her mind for his viewing pleasure.

First she was crouched in the passageway to the Shrieking Shack as she listened to Voldemort give the order to kill, and then she stood over his failing body as she watched him die. "Look at me." Was the last thing they both heard before the younger Snape wrenched himself from her memories, gasping for breath as if he had just emerged from a pool of water. His dark eyes were bright and filled with an emotion that Hermione couldn't quite identify.

"What. Was. That?"

Unable to conjure even a semblance of a reply, Hermione felt the first tear fall down her face, devastated that her secret was out. He repeated his question, and when she still didn't reply, he stepped forward to shake her shoulders. "Hermione. You need to tell me why you have a memory of me dying in your head."

She gulped as his gaze pierced her own, "The only explanation I can see is that you are a Seer as I am clearly much older than I am now, so you couldn't have just imagined all of that." He continued to ramble for a second while she let him consider all of the possible reasons for this revelation. While all this happened, Hermione couldn't help but watch the childlike innocence, fear and curiosity shine through and she made a decision. She would tell him the truth.

In the trapped position she was in against the wall, all Hermione had to do was shift slightly to capture his attention again, "No, I'm not a Seer, Severus." They both gulped, realising what was coming couldn't be good, "But there is a reason I have that memory in my head. I will tell you everything, but only if you promise to not tell anyone about what I'm about to show you."

For some reason, this made him look more suspicious, "What would be the point in that if I can clearly just look into your mind right now and find whatever you're hiding myself."

She raised her hand and placed it against his chest, causing Severus to gasp when he realised the close position they were still standing in. Their eyes clipped together, and Hermione was sure that he noticed his flicker to her lips for a second when she wet them with her tongue before continuing in a quiet voice. "Sev, I'm asking you because you are my friend and I would like us to trust each other. I also don't think you would do that to me, even if you claim to be a twisted Slytherin,"

The attempt at humour failed and Hermione breathed heavily outwards, "Do you understand?" she whispered and when he swallowed and nodded she breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'll need my wand to make the unspeakable oath, so could you please pass it to me?" She looked down, suddenly shy, aware that she had dropped it when he shoved her against the wall.

"An unspeakable oath?" Snape shakingly replied, "That's a bit much isn't it?" Though he did as she asked, giving her a wide berth while she collected her thoughts. Similar to an unbreakable vow, an unspeakable oath meant that a pair could ask something of each other. However death didn't follow and it didn't need a third party to cast; it just literally stopped each person from talking about the subject to another living soul, vocally or by any other method.

Her quelling look soon shut him up, "It's essential, sorry. Although this goes both ways so I will grant you the chance to ask something of me in return." His raised brows told her that he had not been expecting that so she quickly added, "Within reason though, I should be allowed to tell everyone how you once exploded a potion in third year that gave you cloven feet!"

His outrage at her suggestion was taken over by a smile that both terrified and oddly excited her as he marvelled at the opportunity. Suppressing the urge to blush and failing, Hermione turned towards him, holding out her arm. He took hers and they caught gazes again while she cast the spell.

"Will you, Severus Snape, promise to never reveal anything that you learn regarding my past unless I give you express permission to do so?" Hermione began, watching as his eyes widened at the loophole that she had written in. His eyes lowered to the thin trail of light that wrapped them together, and Hermione wondered if she would be granted the same option.

"And will you, Hermione Dumbledore, promise to never reveal anything you learn about any dark magic I may do with Lily Evans?" She raised her eyebrows at his oddly specific request, noticing the lack of a loophole, but nodded and they both vocally consented. Releasing each other's arms, they shook them as the residual magic throbbed through them, averting their eyes at last.

After a quick breath, Hermione asked the questions that had been bugging her, beginning her familiar ramblings, "If you are so concerned about what Lily thinks of you, wouldn't it be easier to just not do any dark magic? Even then, she already hates you, so what difference does it make? How dark are we talking if you want to keep it hidden?" 

Severus just chuckled quietly to shut her up, "I believe that the purpose of that was to make you talk, not me." Indicating a nearby desk, he sauntered over and sunk into a chair, gesturing for her to do the same. She fidgeted in an effort to dispel her nerves and prolong the inevitable before she began to feel the snaky tendrils inch around the borders of her mind again.

At her squeak of surprise, he backed off, "I said I would tell you, can't you wait for a moment?" Hermione began, indignant at his impatience and creeped out by how violating the feeling actually was. He just stared blankly back at her until she began to talk.

"I'm not a Seer." She began and gulped, looking away when she realised that he would not, "The reason that I know about the name The Half-Blood Prince was because I discovered it in my sixth year. I know about your death because I was there." Raising her eyes towards his confused expression, she finished, "I am from the future."

To her great surprise, there was no gasp of horror or exclamations of shock while Snape just looked at her, face devoid of any emotion. This continued for a moment or two before Hermione began to feel uncomfortable under his gaze, "Sorry, I know that it's unexpected and surprising, and I probably should have told you in another way…. and now you have seen yourself die, and that can't be good for you… Oh my God this is so weird but I can explain everything, and I needed to tell someone…"

Snape stopped her rambling by simply leaning forward across the table, steepling his fingers together, "Hermione." He frowned, "Is that even your real name?" She nodded and he continued, "So what you're saying is that you are from the future?" Another nod, "And that you haven't told anyone else?" Another nod, "Then why the hell did you think that it was a good idea to tell me?" He finished, inquisitive eyes wide while he pointed out how bizarre the situation was.

Unable to properly answer that, Hermione huffed before replying in a quiet voice, "Well you're my friend and I trust you…"

Snape's dark laugh interrupted her, "Were you not paying attention to the fact that we haven't been talking for the last week because it was revealed that I am spying on you for the Death Eaters?" She gulped as she coloured slightly, "Furthermore, I have only known you for about 3 months, so how could you possibly gage that I'm trustworthy?"

Realising the comments he was giving her were true, Hermione lowered her head, "I can't really explain it, but I have this feeling that I can trust you, call it instinct or whatever, but I'm not going to ignore it." 

Snape still didn't look convinced but nodded, blushing slightly at the revelation that someone trusted him, "You know, I still don't really believe you… If you've come from the future then for what purpose?"

Accepting the inevitable, Hermione sighed and moved closer again, "If you use legilimency and I think of certain memories specifically, will it be like watching through a pensieve? Because I could just show you and it'll be a lot less effort."

Snape nodded though he looked uncomfortable, "It will be sort of like that, but it's very difficult to control your thoughts and you haven't really had much training. I could stumble upon intimate secrets that you may not want me to see…" Hermione nodded, though she didn't meet his eye while he continued, "Actually, I was thinking that you really need to sort that out. Occlumency, I mean. If you do have all of this information floating around, then we need to make sure that it's more secure."

"That's what I was thinking," Hermione agreed, "Do you think you could help me at all?" At her response, Snape looked like he expected it, but it didn't make him entirely happy.

"Let me see some of your past first, and then I'll decide," He replied in a very Slytherin way that made Hermione roll her eyes. She breathed in and out a couple of times before looking him in the eye and agreeing to let him explore her memories. Without further ado, Snape whispered the spell and delved in.

At first, Hermione tried to think of memories relating to her childhood and her arrival at Hogwarts so that he would know that she wasn't just making it up. Almost like flicking through the pages of a book, the defining points of her life flickered across both of their eyes while he studied them. Receiving her letter, boarding the train and her first sorting ceremony all were swiftly looked into before they reached the troll in the bathroom.

Severus laughed under his breath at the absurdity of it all before this quickly ended when the elder Professor Snape walked into the room. Hermione silently watched while he lingered on his future appearance before he began on a different route, seemingly convinced that she was telling the truth. Before long, they were careening through her memories relating to him and she couldn't help but exhibit him with the disdain that she used to think of him with.

Unsurprisingly, Snape snapped himself back with surprise when they came to the memory of the patronus class in 3rd Year, the horror on his face spoke volumes about how he felt about seeing himself dressed in such a bizarre way. Hermione chuckled before getting back to the issue at hand, "Sev, do you mind if I show you about the war? You need to know the reason for why I am here." When he nodded and smoothly slid back into her memories, it was incredibly easy to come across the memories that had been haunting her.

Hours of sitting listening to that radio flickered across in the blink of an eye before she was watching herself duel on top of a thestral, and then shout a silencing curse at Dolohov in the Department of Mysteries. Soon the student body was collected around the base of the astronomy tower as they looked upon Dumbledore's crumpled form and cringed away from the dark mark in the sky. Predictably, this led to the string of memory that connected to the final battle and Hermione was soon forced to watch Fred Weasley die.

Realising that she was still looking dead into his eyes, Hermione began to sob while Snape continued his exploration, unaware of her anguish. The line of bodies in the Great Hall stood out and they both lingered there until they were thrown back to the night at Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix towering over her. In a fit of panic at the thought of reliving this memory in front of Snape, Hermione desperately sought another memory to replace it. Unbidden, the thought of another body hovering over her in the dark appeared, but this was in her childhood bed at home, and in much better circumstances.

Embarrassed and surprised, Severus retreated out of her mind and took in her reddened face, choosing to ignore that final memory, "How old are you?" He sputtered out, "Surely we can't be the same age for you to have experienced all of that!" 

Hermione smiled weakly, "I'm 19, but because we had to go on the run last year, it meant that I had to miss my seventh year. So I thought that I may as well do it now." 

Nodding as he took this in, Snape seemed to realise that he still hadn't discovered how or why she had been transported to 1977. Resolve filled his eyes again and he reached across the table to delve back into her mind, they both saw the first glimpse of the locket in her mind before she forcefully pushed herself away from him. "Stop! I don't think I can do anymore tonight, I don't know about you, but it's incredibly exhausting from my end."

A flicker of disappointment showed on his face for a second before the usual mask dropped into place as he agreed, "Fine, but you need to work on your occlumency and give me some details, so we'll come back to this. I've agreed to keep your secrets so I'm gonna be pissed if there is nothing of substance to actually hide."

Hermione chuckled,  _ oh how wrong you are,  _ "Let's meet tomorrow in here at 8pm and we can try again. I'll explain everything then," she exhaled in relief as she realised that she wouldn't be alone with her burden anymore, "but Sev, you have to promise that you will not reveal anything about me to Voldemort." She swallowed deeply and grabbed his arm, "I understand that you have this game to play with the other Slytherins, but I am going to take down Voldemort, and if I tell you this information, I hope that you will help me."

Maybe it was her tone, or maybe it was the desperation in her eyes, but Severus's wide eyes finally rose back to her own, "It's pretty damn obvious that if he is allowed to continue then someone I care about will be harmed, maybe more than one now. Nonetheless, a position by his side will mean that I have more power for change and so will be able to shield her. If you can take away that threat altogether, then I will do whatever I can to help you." 

Hermione sighed in relief before he finished his statement, "That, however, does not mean that I will change how I act with my peers, and with my plans after graduation." His dark eyes glared deeply into her own, "For all intensive purposes, we will not be friends beyond study partners, I will pretend to see you as beneath me, and I will become a Death Eater, so don't go thinking that you can change that." 

The finality in his tone brokered no chance of disagreement and so Hermione was left to nod and watch him swiftly leave the room, his dark robes swishing behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 19: Revelations and Interruptions


	19. Revelations and Interruptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, a couple people have commented on Snape being untrustworthy or just plain creepy so I wanted to let you know that I plan to have her making mistakes, whether that be with her relationships and social life, or with the Horcrux hunt. In the end she and Sirius will hopefully end up together, but that'll not be for a while yet!

"SEVEN? How the fuck can someone split their soul seven times?" Snape's voice rang out into the empty classroom and Hermione was glad that she had remembered to silence the room.

They had been there for the last hour, sitting on either side of a table sorting through her memories, as they had been every other night for the last week and a half. This started when, the day after the revelation, Hermione was unsurprised to see Snape drop into his usual chair for their study sessions as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, her other friends from Gryffindor didn't look too happy that they had made up, James and Sirius being particularly vocal with their objections.

Steering her thoughts back to the issue in hand, Hermione interrupted, "You're wonderful master doesn't seem so perfect now, does he?" At his continued look of disgust Hermione decided to change the subject, "Anyway, it doesn't matter, what matters now is that there should be only 5 around by this point; the diary, the locket, the cup, the ring, and the diadem. Which means that we are in a much better position and because I know where they should all be, or will be soon, this means that we are at an advantage."

To have the steps to Voldemort's downfall written out for him so clearly seemed to mollify Severus and a small smile broke out before it was taken over by a frown. "If you already know all of this, then why even bother telling me or wasting your time on school work, just go out there and get it done! You could even tell Dumbledore and he'll sort it out for himself, so you don't have to worry."

His flippant tone caused Hermione's frustration to rise but she decided not to give into it, "It's not that simple! Leaving everything to Dumbledore was our main failing last time, so I'll not be doing that again. Furthermore, this time around I don't have any means of destroying them, so I thought that a trusty Slytherin such as yourself would be able to work out how to cast Feindfire."

At his raised eyebrows, she continued, "Even then, I can't just go around like a vigilante and break into multiple powerful pureblood family houses. I need someone who can get me in the door, and I hoped that you would be amenable." She raised her voice at the end in question before continuing, "You don't have to decide immediately of course, we still have plenty of time before everything goes tits up!"

"So you're not really my friend then?" He cut in before she could continue to babble, "You just want to use me in order to get what you want? Wow. I feel used…"

Hermione looked up at him to apologize but soon saw the teasing glint in his eye, she rolled her eyes and shoved him, "Oh shut up Sev, I clearly count you as my friend if I'm willing to tell you this. You're pretty much the only friend who knows, other than the teachers in the Order and Aberforth."

His eyebrows rose slowly, "You're telling me before that ridiculous bunch of halfwits who hang around you? Even before Lily or Sirius?"

A quick nod was all the reply he received while she frowned, unsure why he would pick out Sirius especially. "I told you that I trust you, now could you just take my word for it so that we can get on with planning."

Severus scoffed, a wide smile forming, "It's so typical of you to want to get straight down to business," He chuckled softly and Hermione was disconcerted by how quickly the people close to her had come to know her so well, "So how exactly do you expect me to learn how to produce Fiendfire?"

They spent the next half an hour brainstorming ideas for how to destroy the horcruxes, agreeing that they would try with Fiendfire before attempting to kill the basilisk, deeming it to be much more risky. Although it made Hermione uncomfortable to put Snape in the path of dangerous students, she agreed that their best bet was to ask around his Death Eater friends to see if they knew the technique.

As time went on they began to talk about gathering the other horcruxes and the pit in Hermione's stomach seemed to grow in size as she considered the extent with what she was asking of him. Not only was she asking him to continue on a path which would put him on the wrong side of the war yet again, but he would have to do so in secret, ultimately appearing like an enemy to both sides. Snape soon noticed her silence.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing really, but I just feel like I am forcing this choice on you. We can always come up with another way to infiltrate them, it's still not too late to turn your back on the Death Eaters."

Her hopeful tone ended when she saw his face, "Hermione, we both know that's not going to happen, and anyway, if I play my cards right I'll be able to gain even more power; the trust of the pureblood elite, but also you do-gooders once you realise that I've saved your asses."

When she still looked hesitant, he walked closer to her, "Even then, won't it look particularly suspicious if I suddenly change my mind just after I have started talking to you? I thought your intention was to keep your head down?"

Hermione gave him a weak smile as she realised the truth in his statements before continuing to jot down a note or two into her leather bound book. "What are you even writing in anyway?" Snape changed the subject once he realised that she wasn't going to reply.

Glad that that was over, she clasped the book shut and gave it to him to open, laughing slightly when he became frustrated that it wouldn't open. "It was a birthday present from Aberforth, he charmed it to not let anyone in that I don't want to open it. But I also added a couple more wards because I have actually gotten quite good at them." The multitude of wards that she had to recite during their time on the run often still ran around her head like a prayer.

He grinned once he realised that her secrets were safe enough, "Well at least we know that you have a good way of protecting your notes, what matters now is protecting your thoughts. Have you ever studied Occlumency before?"

"I know the theory."

Snape rolled his eyes, "Of course you do, I don't know why I asked. Now, have you had any practical experience?" When she shook her head, he dipped his head in agreement, "I thought so, it was much too easy to get into your mind the other week. Have you put much thought into which technique you think would be the most effective to use and easy for you to develop?"

She swallowed deeply as they reached a more solid foundation that she was comfortable with, "Well I don't think small mental prisons would do much good because the majority of the information in my mind just wouldn't make sense to an outside observer, and therefore pretty much all of it needs to be protected so that I can hide my secret."

He nodded along as she continued theorising, "However, my mind often moves at 1000 miles per hour so it may be difficult to sort through my memories in order to hide others. But that leaves the large walls that have to surround everything, which are often proven to be the least successful." She looked up at him and continued, "So really, I need help to decide what would be the most effective."

Humming in agreement, Snape replied, "I think you have a point with the prison's idea, but it would probably be a good plan to work on both the other two. This would mean that if one failed then you would have a backup, and, if you are completely shit at both, then it will at least mean that you will take longer to crack."

Momentarily smothering her annoyance that he thought so little of her, she asked for any recommended methods and techniques.

"Well," he began, "It is often suggested that you use some sort of cataloguing system that you are familiar with. For example, in order to sort my memories and present more favourable ones, I imagine a potions store room, with each of the jars containing different memories. This is usually personal to the person, which makes it more difficult for the invader of the mind to recognise where to look." Predictably, by this point Hermione had leaned down and had begun to make notes.

"On the other hand, to create a total barrier around the mind, there is one established method which is that you stay calm and imagine a wall. This wall can be made out of any material you want, whether it is bricks, metal or wood, but you need to make sure that there are no cracks, or it will have all been for nothing." He looked down at where Hermione was vigorously still making notes, a glint of excitement at acquiring new knowledge in her eyes.

Snape smiled knowingly and fondly at his new friend, before breaking her bubble, "Unfortunately, this will not help at all unless you first clear your mind because you can't start building anything without the foundations first. This means that I can't start teaching you yet, first you need to meditate." Shocked, she looked up, knowing that the elder Snape had thrown Harry in immediately, regardless of if he was ready or not.

"Meditate? Seriously? And how long do you expect me to do that for?" The irritation was very evident in her voice.

"For as long as it takes, which will mean pretty much until the war is over, because you can't occlude if your mind isn't calm. But I think that I will start showing you how to build the wall and will begin attacking your defences later. At the moment, all you need to think about is keeping calm; imagining still waters, a blank sheet of paper, or whatever keeps you relaxed."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the annoying voice that she was so used to, "Yes Professor Snape, and will I get detention if I don't do my homework?"

He smiled as he remembered a brief memory that she had shown him of the older him presiding over a class, "Oh Miss Granger, I think that disappointing me will be punishment enough." With this comment, Severus's teasing voice had suddenly taken a deeper tone, surprising both of them.

The gasp that escaped her at the use of her old name in that context drew his dark eyes to her own, and Hermione couldn't help but feel a bolt something like desire flicker through her body. Swiftly, the temperature of the room seemed to increase as they stared into each other's eyes, unsure as to when they had started flirting.

Only just realising how close they had gotten, Snape himself also looked surprised at his bold statement. She watched as he opened his mouth to apologise but thought against it when her eyes darted towards his lips.

"Hermione,...?" He began in question, as his eyes flickered across her face, drawn to her own lips when her tongue brushed out to lick them nervously.

"Mmhhhmm?" She sighed out, watching as her expulsion of breath blew away a strand of hair that had fallen into his face.

Severus swallowed, "In the future, did I ever…?" He swallowed and she felt a faint brush of his hand against her hip as it came to rest there. She inhaled deeply and shook her head at the question that he didn't need to finish.

"No, you never married. Though there were always rumours amongst the student body about all of the teachers, you could never be sure if they were true or not…" she gulped when his thumb started to softly circle the skin on her hip, through her uniform and robes. Stepping back slightly, she felt the edge of the table they had been working on press into her thighs. Realising she was trapped, she sank down onto it.

All thought of their previous conversation forgotten, he dipped his head towards her more, moving his hands from outside her robes and back to the same place on her hips again, only just over her uniform shirt. If anything, her breath hitched again as his voice pitched lower, dripping out of him like honey, "Hermione, did you ever think about whether…-"

Before he could continue, there was a loud bang and the door to the classroom collapsed inwards, two very rumpled Head students staggering in as if looking for a secluded place. They both stopped short once they realised that the room was occupied, and their faces broke out into similar looks of shock at the position that Hermione and Snape were standing. Him leaning over her with his hands at her waist, her looking up into his eyes, sat atop a table, with their faces centimeters apart.

Before anyone else could utter a word, Snape seemed to fly away from Hermione, as if she had set him alight. Staggering to collect his bag, he averted his eyes from everyone else in the room, his face beet red. "Thanks for the help with the Charms homework Dumbledore, I'll see you around," He choked out, brushing forcefully past James, staring avidly at the stone floor, determinedly steering as far away from Lily as possible.

In the stony silence that he left, they all looked out of the empty doorway, listening until his footsteps faded. Out of the corner of her eyes she watched as her friend's turned their heads towards her in question and she leapt off of the table to start collecting the materials that she had been sitting on. Unfortunately, just as she had finished shoving everything away, the silence was polluted by none other than James Potter.

"What. The. Fuck. Was. That?" He seemed to boom out, not really raising his voice, but annunciating every syllable so it felt like he was shouting, she flinched at each one. As her attention was steering clear of the both of them, she could only see their blurred outlines and so it was almost as if Harry Potter was reprimanding her. She couldn't blame him. What would her Harry say if he saw her now, flirting with their least favourite teacher, and catching feelings for the man even though he was in love with another?

The girl in question remained quiet and so Hermione chose to address James first, finally meeting his eyes, "What do you mean, James? We were just studying before you decided to so rudely intervene." Realising what night it was, Hermione glanced quickly out of a window, "Anyway, aren't you needed elsewhere?"

James gulped and glanced quickly at his girlfriend who was pointedly looking away from them, Hermione decided to distract him further, "Actually, while we're on the subject, why were the two of you stumbling into an empty classroom alone? I don't see any bags, so don't pretend that you were going to study!"

"What…? That's beside the point….we were just…. Don't change the subject!" Hermione's heart sank as she realised that her diversionary tactics were not going to work, " _That_ did not look like studying and we both know it!"

"How would you know Potter, you do it so rarely!" She bit out while he scoffed.

"We allowed you to be friends with the slime ball, but _that,"_ he gestured to the table that she had just been pressed against, " _that_ does not look friendly to me!"

"ALLOWED?" Hermione bellowed, her temper flaring, "What do you mean allowed? I can be friends with whoever I want, and date who I want as well, now that we're on the subject," he opened his mouth as if to continue arguing. "Not that we are dating, because we certainly are not! But if you think that you, or any of the other boys, can make decisions for me then you have another thing coming!"

"So you're just shagging the git?" He sneered, "Wow Hermione, I thought you actually had a brain?" Luckily for James, before Hermione could continue to shout back at him, Lily finally decided to intervene.

"James, stop shouting at her, she is right and she also does not need to tell us anything that she doesn't want to." Hermione turned a surprised look at her dorm mate, but found the girl already looking at her boyfriend, "I thought that you realised that telling a girl what to do would never work after your experience with me."

James's voice suddenly became very small, "Of course, but that is different…"

"No it isn't and we both know it, now would you mind finishing the rounds without me, I think Hermione and I need a little chat." Lily's voice remained light, if a little resigned, but Hermione couldn't help but feel a tendril of dread coil around her throat. James grumbled but left slowly, muttering a goodbye to his girlfriend, obviously annoyed that the chance to make out in private had been taken away from him.

He turned back to Hermione at the last minute, "I don't like that you're friends with him, or whatever else, but I know when to leave well enough alone. I know the others won't like it either but I'll leave it up to them whether they decide to pester you. But when this all goes wrong and he betrays you, don't say I didn't warn you!"

The silence that he left in his wake was stilted and tense before Lily began, "Shall we walk back to the common room then?" Hermione agreed and they left, walking slowly side by side, their shoulders brushing occasionally. The moonlight that shone through the windows as they passed created huge shadows that made their path seem much more spooky and somehow made the silence stretch for longer.

They'd only been walking for about a minute, though it felt like hours, before Lily began to talk, "You do know that we were friends right?" Hermione nodded, "Then I assume that you know why we stopped being friends then?" She nodded again and finally decided to look into Lily's incredulous face, "Then why would you agree to be friends with him if you know how he feels about us?"

Hermione scrunched her face up and considered how to talk about this, "It's not really that simple, he's got a lot going on and I've got a lot going on, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't hurt for him to call me a Mudblood. Not that he has." She clarified when Lily winced, "But maybe I've become more desensitized to it after hearing it all the time and after this," Hermione rubbed her hand across her forearm over her jumper where they both knew the scar lay.

Lily's eyes flickered towards it and remained there for a moment or two, "That word is drenched in so much pain and history that it can't help but hurt, but it is only the context around it that makes it hurt. For example, the way that Severus directed it at you was plain wrong, but our friendship is new and I know that he has a game to play with his housemates. When I will have to listen to him calling me that, I know that he won't mean it because he has learnt from the situation with you, and has already explained and apologized in advance."

She sighed as they both reached the end of the corridor at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, "We are not the only ones who are in a difficult position, but I understand if you chose not to forgive him. But I like spending time with him and he likes spending time with me. I think," Hermione hoped her blush was being hidden by the darkened corridor, as she turned to look at her friend, "So please just let me have this?"

Still out of earshot of the Fat Lady, Lily stopped their progress and turned to Hermione, "Thanks for telling me that, and I think I understand, but I don't think I can forgive him yet and so I hope you understand if I don't want to talk about it much." Hermione nodded, aware that there would probably be a catch, "Just be careful Hermione. Not with your safety, because I know that Sev isn't that cruel, but with your heart. He can be quite careless and thoughtless with what he says and does."

"We're just friends." Hermione's swift reply was shot down swiftly by a quelling look and she blushed again before they began walking to the Portrait Hole together.

"If that's what being friends look like, then maybe James and I need to change our relationship status."

* * *

The man scuttled down the hallway, keeping to the shadows so that outsiders would not see him in the shafts of moonlight that the windows threw. As he scrambled along he took in the rough and worn floors of the castle and considered the differences it held to the one that he had presently been living in.

Hogwarts was too warm, too light for his liking, the students and the teachers much too loud in their every moments, always clamouring for attention. He knew better, always staying to the background so not to let anyone know he was watching, waiting to strike and hit them where it hurt.

The wall sconces were becoming much smaller and more distanced apart as he continued down the hallway, darkening the corridor and making it feel much more ominous. Just how he liked it.

When he finally reached the old oak door, it groaned open as if it had been waiting for him and he was let into a cavernous room, enshrouded in more darkness. "My lord?" He began, his usually deep voice, squeaky with apprehension at what he might find.

"You may come in. I am anxious to hear what developments you have made," came a reply from the darker end of the hall, where undoubtedly, Lord Voldemort lay waiting.

The man gained what confidence he could find and walked into the centre of the room. "My Lord." He bowed and began to recite the names of all of the students he had been whispering to. "...Crouch and the younger Black are looking very promising so far, but suspicions were raised once the werewolf was discovered on the grounds."

The dismembered voice of his lord echoed across the space, "That was an oversight, but it served its purpose once we discovered that loophole in the wards. The information we managed to gather about the forest and surrounding area will prove useful in future I think."

The man's facial features scrunched into a frown at the thought of that half-breed becoming more useful to his master, "Now shall we see if you are worth my time, who is this girl I keep hearing about?"

For a second the man was confused but soon remembered the only girl who had been of any consequence as of late. "Ah yes, the Dumbledore girl. My sources tell me that she is a Mudblood girl of no consequence who latched herself onto the Dumbledore's after her family was killed in France."

Voldemort made no sound for a moment before asking, "And who was it that killed her family? What was her family name perhaps?"

"My lord, I believe she is claiming that it was us, yet they are only whispers. As for her surname, I don't think anyone is sure."

In the stagnant pause that followed, the man dared to open his mouth again, "The students may have dismissed her, but I fear that she is not all that she seems. Although she pretends to be just like everyone else, on more than one occasion her concentration has slipped and I have seen her fast reflexes and agile mind."

Voldemort paused once more before his silky voice broke out into the darkness, "You have done well to bring her to my attention,"

"Thank you my lord," he whispered fervently, bowing deeply, "I fear that she is not to be underestimated, whomever she may be."

Voldemort looked down on him once more, his voice sharp, "As astute as your observations are, I will not tolerate you taking liberties where they are not yours to possess."

"Sorry, my lord, I am sorry," the man gasped out, throwing himself to the ground before his master could do the same with his wand.

He smirked and took great pleasure over the fear he could inspire, "Alas, I am a merciful master and so will let your insolence stand this one time so that you may deliver my orders."

The man's whispered apologies and thank you'd were soon drowned out, "I want the trainees within the school to watch and listen from a distance and collect as much information on this Mudblood as possible."

"Thank you master, I have asked the Black boy and the half-blood Snape to watch her already after they took the initiative to befriend her."

"Good good, we need to keep her close and feeling like she is safe, and in the meantime I will find out about her past."

"Yes my lord, what a brilliant plan…"

"Enough, I have grown tired of your snivelling. You may leave and order your minions, but make sure that her suspicions are not raised. Friend or foe, I think the new Miss Dumbledore may be an interesting player in the fight that is to come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is Chapter 20: Suspicions from Sirius


End file.
